The Substitute Bride

Charles thought about the situation seriously. The doctor mentioned that Leila's case was very critical to the point that if she was sent to the hospital a little bit later, then the chances of her dying was high.

'What kind of person would risk and sacrifice her own life to set up other people?' he wondered. As far as Charles knew, Leila was not the type of person to do that. She loved herself more than anything else, so how could she risk her own life?

Then, the question remained, 'Who poisoned her?'

Charles paced back and forth. He didn't have a clue at all.

'Would it be Nancy?' Charles stopped and wondered. After a moment, he shook his head and continued to pace. Even though Nancy made tea for them, Sheryl mentioned that Nancy had been staying with them all the time, so it was impossible for Nancy to put poison in the tea without Sheryl knowing.

Moreover, Nancy had nothing against Leila, why would she poison her without any reason at all?

Charles thought about it over and over again, but he still couldn't figure this case out.

All he knew was that regarding this case, he wouldn't call the police and could only investigate by himself. Then again, his mother's safety was his primary concern. He would wait until Melissa woke up and prayed that his mother would be well and safe.

Charles stopped pacing and turned his gaze on the door of the operating room. Half an hour had passed, but the operation was still undergoing.

"Charles!"

A shout from behind made Charles turned around, and he immediately saw Sheryl rushing over towards him.

"Why...What are you doing here? How about the kids?" Charles asked, his eyebrows furrowed into a frown.

Sheryl stopped in front of him and took her time to catch her breath. After a moment, she looked at him and replied, "Clark and Shirley are with Nancy. Don't worry about them. How—" Sheryl stopped and hesitated for a moment. She shook her negative thoughts away and continued, "How is Mom doing?"

Her eyes then fell on the closed door of the operating room. Her face dropped and turned pale.

Charles heaved a deep breath as he shook his head and replied in a husky voice, "She's still in surgery."

Sheryl nodded slowly, not knowing how or what to respond, so she just stood beside Charles in silence. Charles didn't talk any further either and just stared at the door.

Slowly, as the time passed by, the atmosphere between them became awkward and tense.

Sheryl wasn't sure whether Charles felt it too, so she quickly stole a glance at Charles. When she saw how sullen his face was, her mood immediately plummeted.

She still wasn't sure whether Charles would blame her or not about Melissa's accident. After all, he cared for his mother very much. Even though they had been separated for a long time, they were still, in fact, mother and son, and no one could really top the love of a mother for her child and vice versa. For sure, Charles would never just let go of this accident that easy.

Therefore, as soon as Melissa woke up, Sheryl knew she had no other choice but to admit her fault whether or not she was responsible for it. If she defended herself in front of Charles, she knew this situation would worsen. The latter was what Melissa had exactly expected, but she didn't know that Sheryl was willing to lower her pride.

Still, Sheryl could remember clearly how Melissa fell down. As she fell down the stairs, Sheryl saw t

achel raised her glass and drowned the contents until the last drop.

Alan grinned and applauded satisfactorily. "Wow, Ms. Bai, I admire your frankness. Well, I have to admit that it will be interesting to cooperate with you. Don't worry. I will re-evaluate your company and reconsider our cooperation."

Rachel tried to hid her frustration after hearing Alan's reply. She had already sacrificed her dignity, and yet all he gave her in return was lip service.

Then again, she was not the type of person to give up that easily. She must nail down this cooperation extension at all costs!

Rachel smiled sweetly and leaned closer to Alan until she was almost wrapped around his arms.

"Mr. Zhao, I can assure you that there is not a single problem with my company. I know that we will have a bright future together. I mean, we have been good partners for so many years, haven't we? Besides, if you end our cooperation, how sure are you that you can find a replacement better than us? So, why don't we just continue our cooperation, eh?"

Rachel opened her bag and took out a contract.

She placed it on the table with a pen on it and said, "Mr. Zhao, you see, I am sincere enough. I even brought the contract with me. So why don't you just sign it now? After this procedure, why don't we have fun somewhere else? What do you think?" Alan looked at her back. Her sexually suggestive words had aroused something inside of him, especially how seductive she looked back at him.

This was the first time he had seen her like this. In the past, she always behaved like a queen, who was arrogant and proud, because her company was strong enough to stand alone.

However, right now, she even stooped so low to please him like a prostitute, which made the beast inside of him hungry and excited.

Alan raised his hand and touched Rachel's face, caressing her tender cheeks with his thumb. The delicate and soft texture made him thirsty. All he wanted to do right now was strip her off immediately.

He thought about it for a moment as he took his time caressing Rachel. As a matter of fact, this cooperation didn't matter too much for his company. Besides, Tarsan Corporation could still sustain operation. Now, to get Rachel, he knew what he had to do. He decided to sign the contract.