The Substitute Bride

Sheryl looked tensed as she started to fidget in her seat. She needed to take some responsibility for this accident no matter what caused Leila to become unconscious all of a sudden.

Leila had come over to Dream Garden and due to some unknown reason, she went into a coma. Once this news got exposed to the public, it would have a very bad influence on the Lu family and everybody would point a finger at Sheryl. She shuddered at the very thought of it. Almost everyone in this city knew about the rift between Sheryl and Leila. They could never be friends. Everything that had taken place between the two of them was widely known by everyone in the city.

Now Leila had an accident in Dream Garden with Sheryl being around. Undoubtedly, it was a big scoop of news for the media and they wouldn't let Sheryl go easily this time.

'Leila, I just hope your accident has nothing to do with my family. In that case, even if people put the blame on us, we would be able to explain to them, ' Sheryl prayed.

At this hour of despair, the only person she could think of was Charles.

Charles had gone abroad for some urgent meeting related to his business. Sheryl felt extremely helpless without him by her side.

'Should I tell Charles about this?' A very ardent urge to call him up gripped her mind.

But she stopped herself. And after she mulled it over, she decided not to let him know about it at the moment. 'He has gone abroad for some emergency situation in his business. Telling him will only distract him, ' she thought.

'Once Leila's life is out of danger, I'll talk to her and figure out the reason behind her getting sick. If it is because of the tea, I'll not flinch from taking full responsibility.

However, if her accident has nothing to with us, I'll convince her to explain the truth to the public, ' Sheryl thought in her mind.

Weighing all the pros and cons of the situation in her mind, Sheryl lifted her head; her eyes fell on the reporters who had gathered in front of the emergency room. She was struck with a splitting pain pulling her head apart. 'But the thing is, if these people continue to stay here, things will only get complicated even when Leila wakes up, ' she thought.

In San Francisco

In a hundred-story imposing skyscraper, dozens of people had gathered for a business meeting on the top floor. The conference continued for more than two hours but they hadn't put forward a solution to the problem as yet.

Charles chaired the meeting. He furrowed his brows, and a trace of sternness flashed through his deep-set eyes.

'It's pointless to continue the meeting. It's only a waste of time, ' Charles thought. For hi

That's incredible. I didn't expect that Mr. Lu to be so amazing that he took care of such a difficult situation in such a short time, ' he thought with admiration.

"Not yet. But I have something urgent to deal with, so I need to go back. I'll leave the matters here to other people," he replied. "Oh, one more thing. Investigate thoroughly about a person," he ordered.

"Who?" Barrett asked.

"Leila Zhang," Charles answered.

"Oh, you want me to investigate Leila, Miss Zhang?" Barrett blurted out in a surprised tone. Leila used to be Charles' secretary and an ex-colleague, so Barrett knew her.

"Yes. I need to know about her background and recent daily activities," Charles confirmed.

"Yes, Mr. Lu," Barrett agreed promptly.

Charles went back to the meeting room and entrusted the business matters to the man who was immediately next to him in the hierarchy and whom he trusted most. Although he wanted to handle the business matter all by himself, he couldn't focus on them after coming to know about the debacle that took place at his own house. He could not wait any longer to go home and be with his wife who was in distress.

A few hours later, a plane bound for Y City took off.

In the afternoon, Charles walked out of the exit of the airport. Even with a gaunt face, he looked energetic.

Barrett didn't come to pick Charles up for he had something important to deal with at the office. Instead, he arranged the driver working for Shining Company to pick up his boss. "Where do you want to go, Mr. Lu?" the chauffeur inquired respectfully, as Charles got in the car.

"Municipal First Hospital," Charles replied in a flat tone.

Without asking any further question, the chauffeur started the engine and headed straight to that hospital.