The Substitute Bride

"Mr. Gao, are you feeling alright? I think I should go and get a doctor for you right away!"

Jason could see the nurse panic at seeing his condition. He let out a smirk as he watched the young medical staff turn around and disappear through the door.

Even after disconnecting the line, Holley could not put her mind to rest. She was inexplicably frustrated and unable to focus on anything, for that matter. She tossed her phone aside and rested her head on her palms.

Suddenly, she started feeling claustrophobic inside her own office and decided to take a walk out of her office. But to her dismay, the moment she stepped out of her office, the atmosphere outside made her feel more upset. As she walked through the passage, she could hear subdued whispers and complaints everywhere. She could hear derogatory words about her being exchanged between her staff. Since they wouldn't dare to complain to her face, they chose to talk about her behind her back.

Holley regretted having lost her temper at the junior staff at the tea counter in the morning. She realized that she had acted too fast and without thinking. That must be the reason for so much criticism from the staff.

The junior employee had been filling her cup with water when Holley had entered the tea room lost in her thoughts. She did not have the patience to wait in the queue. On top of that, she was indeed extremely disturbed, which had triggered her anger all the more. Holley had just lost her cool and shouted at the junior staff. In fact, in the heat of the moment, she even threatened the staff member with halving her salary as punishment.

Everyone in the tea room had stared back at Holley with their mouths wide open. The office staff was already aware that Holley's relationship with Black had hit the rocks. Hence, they speculated that they had finally ended their relationship, or perhaps Holley had gone crazy. She had completely lost her sanity.

"Holley's arrogance is just hitting the roof nowadays. Who does she think she is? I guess Mr. Hu must be tired of her conceit this time. He must see through her as much as we do. But how ridiculous? She must have given her best to amend her ways to get back with Black. But she has failed miserably, it seems. She is completely in self-denial mode. And now she is just venting out her anger on us!"

"Sure, that must be the reason! How ridiculous she is! Even if we are working in this company, and she is our reporting boss, she doesn't have the right to hurt our dignity! Halve the salary? How disgusting is that! She is using our salaries to pull down our dignity!" One of the female employees voiced her opinion while she straightened her already prim and proper uniform as she spoke. Even though her pitch was low, her demeanor was stern and confident.

Everybody shared a sympathetic look with the poor lady who was reprimanded by Holley. She seemed to coil up into her shell. It was clear that she was deeply insulted. She sat in her chair, but her eyes revealed the state of her mind. Then she dropped her head, as she failed to control the tears welling up in her eyes. Her body trembled as the tears started to roll down her cheeks, but she could not speak a

way.

Holley was completely taken aback and knitted her brows out of irritation as soon as she found Black standing in front of her. She sternly looked at Black, with her lips tightly pressed into a straight line. Black could easily read what was on her mind from her expression.

Black kept flashing a big smile and ignored Holley's displeased look. He said gently as he took a step closer to her, "Holley, can we have dinner tonight? I want to talk to you."

Helpless, Holley knew she could not avoid it anymore. Holley felt that a clear statement was necessary so that Black could give up on her completely. She was cornered by Jason and had no choice left. She felt she had to end her relationship with Black. If she kept turning a blind eye to the situation and let it develop without consideration, it could end up in worse chaos.

"Okay!" Holley replied, firmly. Her voice was cold and her face exuded no emotion.

Black was still lost in the sweetness of his romantic fantasy. He didn't take much into account. To him, Holley's words conveyed what was in her heart. Receiving her swift reply, Black felt as happy as a five-year-old child who was given candy.

Black led Holley to his car. He opened the car door for her and helped her get in. He attended to every detail carefully, just to let Holley feel comfortable. She couldn't really believe that she had decided to leave such a meticulous man. If it weren't for Ferry's intimidation, she wouldn't have made such a stupid decision.

"Holley, what do you want to eat?" Black asked sincerely with a smile.

"Anything."

Holley's calm and composed demeanor was a striking contrast to Black's excitement.

Black couldn't wait to talk. As they drove along the road, he kept recalling the happy moments from the past that he and Holley had shared. But Holley remained indifferent. She was being offhand with Black, and she knew it. There were constant pauses because of Holley's unresponsiveness.

In no time, they arrived in front of a Japanese restaurant. Black swiftly parked his car. He carefully helped Holley get out, and then they walked into the restaurant.