The Substitute Bride

"What happened?" Rachel asked. She glared at Bernard angrily, shaking off his hands and turned her face aside.

Not having heard Bernard's response, Rachel turned around to see what had happened, only to find Bernard on the floor. He was too weak to stand still and losing blood at a rapid rate.

"Bernard!" Rachel called out to him, but he was unconscious now.

Having no other choice, Rachel helped him up and laid him down on the sofa. Then she waited there not knowing what to do, not even attending to his wounds.

She decided to wait until he had regained consciousness to tell her everything.

After almost one dreadful hour, Bernard came to his senses.

When he opened his eyes slowly, he was greeted by Rachel's cold and dissatisfied eyes. She didn't say anything, but he could tell how frustrated she was.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. It's my fault that I let you down. I've made a big mistake!" As he was speaking, Bernard struggled to find his footing and sit closer to Rachel, holding her hands to comfort her.

Rachel pushed his hands away impatiently and said, "Tell me what happened!"

Even after Bernard had risked his own life for her, she still didn't care about him. She only cared about herself and she wanted to know why he had failed.

She waited a long time for such a great opportunity, but Bernard had wasted it for nothing.

Rachel felt like she was going to explode in anger. She had been so sure of her victory that she could almost taste it. Why did it turn out to be the opposite of what she was expecting? She couldn't bear to even think about it.

Looking at her angry face, Bernard knew that he had to give her a convincing explanation. If not, she would never forgive him.

"I almost had her, Rachel. I already had Sheryl subdued at that moment, but..." Bernard took a glance at Rachel, who was listening intently. Then he continued, "But someone, also dressed in black, showed up out of nowhere and stopped me. He even tried to kill me."

"Who was that man? Did you find out? You are very strong, aren't you? Was that person strong enough to compete with you?" Rachel stared at Bernard in utter disbelief.

To some extent, she was right to believe that no ordinary man could put up a fight against him. There

Here you are!" said the man. His voice echoed in the empty hall, deep and thunderous. Bernard almost had a heart attack as he didn't realize that the man had sensed his presence there.

"Tom, please spare Rachel. She has nothing to do with my betrayal. I'll do whatever you want me to do as long as you spare her life!" Bernard spoke directly, without wasting any time.

After a while, the man turned around. He looked Bernard up and down, carefully. "I didn't think that you could stoop so low, old friend."

"Tom, it's all my fault! I'm willing to accept the punishment!" Bernard continued pleading.

Tom's lips cracked into a satisfied smile. Then he slumped onto a chair and said, "I'm not going to kill you, of course. Your life isn't worth the trouble for me."

Tom gave him a contemptuous look and continued, "But there is one way for you to save your ass."

Bernard agreed immediately, "Just tell me what it is that you want and I will to do it, Tom."

Who would choose death over life if he had been given a choice?

After all, Bernard wasn't a stupid man.

"Kill this man for me and you'll be free of your obligations," Tom said curtly. Then he threw a pile of documents on the table for Bernard to read through.

Bernard leaned forward and picked them up. He opened the file and saw a strange name on the paper.

Ferry Fang?

He had never even heard of this person before. To kill a person he didn't know to save both his and Rachel's lives was a deal he couldn't refuse.