The Substitute Bride

Rachel heaved a deep breath as she waited. Not long after, the door opened and out was Holley with a couple of prison guards beside her.

Watching Holley being held by prison guards and the thought of her having to stay here made Rachel feel guilty.

Rachel observed Holley discreetly as Holley made her way towards her. As she sat down in front of her, Rachel spoke with sincerity evident in her voice. "Holley, I'm really sorry for what you have suffered."

As Rachel observed her, she recalled that Holley looked more gaunt than she was in trial.

However, right now, the look in her eyes had changed the last time she saw her.

Rachel remembered how vacant and dim her eyes looked during the trial, but now there was a hint of gleam shining in her eyes.

On the other hand, Holley felt satisfied as she sensed that Rachel was indeed touched and sorry by her sacrifce. 'Soon, she will trust me again, and this will pave my way to success in getting back at Sheryl, ' she thought to herself.

Holley cleared her throat, interrupting Rachel's train of thought. As soon as she caught Rachel's attention, she said with certainty, "Ms. Bai, you have to listen carefully. There is no time dealing with what already happened, so we have to focus on what we can do next, rather, what you can do next for I am clearly stuck in here. I suggest that you investigate Lance's wife. I have a strong gut feeling that she set us up and really has something to do with this case."

Holley's words entered Rachel's ears one by one, and her statement immediately reminded Rachel of what she had heard in the restroom the other day. The puzzle pieces began to fit and align, and all of a sudden, all her confusion and perplexity vanished into thin air just like that.

Rachel's eyes widened as she finally knew what was going on. She turned to Holley and replied, "You're right. How dumb was I that I didn't immediately suspect her? Oh, for God's sake, she watched the video about me and her husband!"

Then, she paused for a moment with a pensive look as she thought about this carefully.

"Well, I heard some rumors about Lance and his wife. It looks like they were not that close as they publicly disclosed. Hmm, something's fishy," Rachel continued, her eyebrows furrowed into a frown.

Rachel bit her lower lip. The more she thought of it, the more excited she became. All roads led to Miranda, and Rachel felt certain that she was the one who framed them.

She turned to Holley once more and gave her a weak but hopeful smile. "Thank you for the tip, Holley. I assure you that I will find out the truth soon, and I will get you out of here."

Right now, she was convinced that she could figure out the real identity of the murderer for now she had a lead.

Holley nodded and returned Rachel's smile. "I believe you, Ms. Bai."

However, deep inside, she still had some apprehensions and was worried that Rachel might not be able to handle this matter, especially when she was stuck in this prison and could only help Rachel by giving her insights.

Holley's eyebrows arched slightly as she added, "Be careful not to alert Lance's wife or even give her any hint that we are onto her. Right now, surely she is not thinking that we suspect her and is planning to investigate her. Her guard is low, so this is a good chance to find out the truth.

Still, I worry, Ms. Bai. Please, if you don't have a proper detective to follow her, I highly suggest you contact this person."

Rachel thought about it for a moment. Then aga

hat so? Well then, it is my honor. I didn't expect you to be a fan of mine. Anyways, when are you free? We need to talk about this case and about your task in person," Rachel said, eager to stop thinking about her glory days.

"Any time," Bernard replied immediately without even looking over his calendar. He mentally noted to postpone whatever he had tasked just to give time for Rachel.

"I see. Do you know Tarsan Corporation? Let's meet at the coffee shop near Tarsan Corporation at 10:00 tomorrow morning," Rachel proposed.

"Noted. I will be there," Bernard replied, feeling excited to see Rachel. He looked over his calendar and moved the task for tomorrow on another time.

After she ended the call, Rachel sat on her couch and immediately felt the exhaustion of the day. Still, she couldn't stop thinking and was still engrossed in her own thoughts.

Knowing that Bernard was a fan of hers, she was quite sure that he would do his job well to please her.

Rachel felt relieved for she was really eager to find out the truth, particularly for two reasons. One was because she was thankful of Holley. And the other was because she didn't want to give Holley a chance to back out and put all the blame on her. She was afraid for selfish reasons, but who could blame her?

As long as she still didn't find the person who murdered Lance, she wouldn't be able to sleep and even eat well as if there was the Sword of Damocles hanging over her head. She felt like she could hear a ticking bomb just near her.

Then again, it was also a way for her to get the support from Holley. After all, Holley had over half client resources, and she surely needed her help for her company to get through this. With all these in her mind, Rachel fell asleep, exhaustion taking over her.

The next day, Rachel got up and did her usual routine. Knowing that she was going to meet Bernard, a fan of hers, she took more time in dressing up and fixing her looks.

In the morning, she finally arrived at the rendezvous. She knew she was late for a couple minutes, but she did it on purpose anyway.

As she saw Bernard wave after her, she walked towards him. When she was near the table, Bernard rose from his seat and smiled, offering his hand. "Hello, Ms. Rachel Bai. I'm Bernard. It's a pleasure to meet you. You are really more gorgeous in person."