The Substitute Bride

"You'd better clear up your own mess, and then give me a good explanation. I am not spending the night in this house. When you have enough evidence to prove your innocence, I'll be back!" Cassie's eyes were throwing daggers at Nick as she spoke. After she was done talking, she looked at Nick like he was nothing more than a stranger, her eyes exuding complete indifference.

"No, you have to stay with me and let me walk you through everything. You can't go! I won't let you!" Nick pleaded, refusing to let go of Cassie's arm. He knew that once he let her leave, he might lose her forever. Her heart would walk away with her if she left. So whatever happened, he needed to make her stay.

"Hands off me, Nick! Let me go!" Seething with rage, Cassie struggled to pull her arm from Nick's grip. He could detect an obvious tinge of fury creep across her face.

Threatened by Cassie's rage-filled demeanor, as this was the first time he saw her with such a hideous expression, Nick's determination to keep her wavered. Subconsciously, he loosened his grip, but he still kept Cassie within reach, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. But to his remorse, before he could even continue his persuasion, Cassie took her chance to run away, leaving Nick dumbfounded.

When he finally came back to his senses, Cassie had already gone down the stairs and reached the ground floor. Knowing it was already impossible for him to catch up, Nick watched her head towards the door, slamming it closed behind her.

Once Cassie got away from Nick, she walked alongside the road alone, carrying her large suitcase. Her heart was heavy with sadness, but her head was fuming with anger because of her boyfriend's betrayal. Stopping for a while, she suddenly broke down and wept loudly. She was in much need of someone to turn to for consolation, or someone to pour her heart out to. The first person who crossed her mind was Sheryl, her best friend. Sheryl and Cassie were always there for each other. But the timing was not good, as it was already late. Sheryl's kids must have already fallen asleep, and a sudden overnight stay would be more than a hassle to Sheryl. Dispelling the thought, Cassie didn't know where she should head to at this hour. Thinking for a while, she decided to check into a nearby hotel.

Lying in a queen-sized bed, without Nick beside her, Cassie tried her best to get some sleep but failed. She had so much in her head, and these thoughts wouldn't let her mind get to rest. After tossing and turning in bed for about half an hour, she finally gave up and decided to call Sheryl.

Meanwhile, on the liner, Twilight, in Malaysia

Sheryl was in the restroom, retouching her make up. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she took a deep breath and smiled. Pleased with how she looked, she was about to head out when a familiar ringtone started playing, and a strong vibration came from her handbag. Realizing it was her phone ringing, she fished it out and checked who was calling.

Seeing Cassie's name on the caller ID, Sheryl was surprised to see who was calling at this hour. She did rough math about the time difference between them and knew that it was very late for Cassie. Why was Cassie calling her now?

Feeling that something must have gone wrong, Sheryl quickly accepted the call.

"Cassie, what's wrong?" Sheryl tried to contain h

next.

"Charles, will you stay with me for a while? It's not convenient for me to move around, so I need somebody to look after me for the time being," Leila's request was pretty straightforward. She cast Charles a look full of expectation, hoping he would pity her.

Since Charles had entered the room, he hadn't even looked in her direction. The room went dead silent after Leila made her request. With a frown, Charles finally raised his head to look at Leila. Still, he said nonchalantly, "I am not a doctor. Having my company won't treat the pain in your foot."

Clearly, Charles was indirectly rejecting her unreasonable request. Leila knew it but still answered with a feigned smile, "I am scared to be alone in this room. I need a man to accompany me."

"I have a meeting soon with an important client. I can't stay here now." Charles stopped talking, being absorbed in relieving the pain on Leila's foot.

Leila failed again. She didn't want to give up now, but she couldn't see even a glimpse of hope. Seething in anger, she bit her lips tightly.

Her head kept spinning for a practical and impromptu idea. She even thought about vamping Charles by using her sensuality, as she used to do whenever he was drunk. But with Charles in a sober mind, it would surely fail, so she dropped the idea. Thinking that she would lose the rare opportunity of sleeping with Charles again if she failed to keep him by her side tonight, Leila frowned and thought that Sheryl might still stand a chance to get back to Dream Garden.

Just the thought of it made her tremble.

"Are you feeling cold?" Charles asked. Noticing how Leila's body shivered, as he put the cold compress onto her foot, Charles thought that she must have failed to adjust to the low temperature.

"Not at all! It just feels a little painful," Leila replied, shaking her head. Realizing that Charles cared about her feelings, she felt something stir in her heart.

Hearing Leila was fine, Charles continued applying the cold compress on her foot. He ceased to overthink anything. Another silence set in.

Suddenly, they heard a string of moans from the next cabin. Feeling bashful, Leila quickly glanced in Charles' direction, curious to find out his reaction.