The Substitute Bride

Phoebe heaved a deep sigh and leaned back on the seat listlessly. She turned to Josef and said, "Ms. Xia is out of town now. I'm afraid Mr. Lu has hurt her beyond repair this time! Why is this happening to her?"

"Oh, that!" Josef said and agreed. It was only now that he understood what Phoebe was referring to, so he nodded his head to show his agreement. A regretful look made its way to his face.

"Why are you acting so weird? Is there anything I don't know?" Phoebe asked with an expectant look, waiting for him to explain.

"I didn't see anything with my own eyes. But the rumor has it that Mr. Lu was acting a bit strange the past few days. It is said that instead of doing his job, he has decided to lock himself inside his office. Nobody knows what he is doing inside!" Josef blurted out to Phoebe, revealing everything he knew. He didn't want to hold anything back from her.

On the other hand, Phoebe just turned to look outside through the window with her eyebrows knitted. Her thoughts had drifted away.

Both of them didn't talk for a long while. Josef cast glances at her from time to time to make sure everything was okay. But Phoebe just watched the trees flashing by outside, still lost in a faraway world. Worried about her, Josef decided to pull over and have a talk with her. He stopped the car and put his hands on her shoulders, asking seriously, "Are you okay? Please, talk to me!"

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm thinking about what I can do to make Ms. Xia feel better. I think it is her way of trying to move on to leave this city. Everything is so complicated that I am finding it hard to understand. Anyway, I hope everything turns right for the couple. If they part ways, both of them would be losers in this fight!" Phoebe replied as she looked into Josef's eyes.

She couldn't imagine what a mess it would be if both Sheryl and Charles were out of control. Lots of people were relying on them, after all.

Josef nodded and rubbed her shoulders to help her relax. Lovingly, he then wrapped her hand into his and said with a mild tone, "Please, listen to me, Phoebe."

"Okay, go ahead!" Phoebe cracked a smile to show that he had nothing to worry about.

Josef also smiled back and continued, "There is something that has been bothering me. I noticed that Mr. Lu signed the divorce paper the second he returned. Isn't there something wrong with his abrupt action? I am positive that there is more to this matter, but I can't quite put my finger on it!"

"Right! This thought has been bothering me as well. Most importantly, is there anyone Mr. Lu loves more than Ms. Xia? No, I don't think so!" Phoebe said with certainty, but she was still startled at the turn of events.

As far as she knew, Sheryl had implored Charles to sign the papers. However, Charles had refused resolutely every single time. Even Phoebe could see that he was still deeply in love with Sheryl, but the fact that he had signed the divorce papers shocked her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't come up with a plausible explanation for his action.

'I think I need to stop racking my brain. There are way too many things that don't make any sense, ' she told herself.

"Please, calm down! All we can do is wait. I'll keep an eye on Shining Company. If I remember well, our project with it will begin soon. Once that happens, I will take this chance to see what is going on. Just relax and wait for my news!" Josef promised. He was trying to make Phoebe feel better.

Phoebe felt the burden shift from her shoulde

did his best to conceal it. It was not the right time to rip off his mask.

He was hell-bent on making his plan work. He sincerely hoped that he could get rid of both Leila and Ferry once and for all. And to do that, he needed to find out their secret deals and crush them when they least expected it. Only then, could Sheryl and he live a peaceful life, for the rest of their lives.

Thinking of it, he took out his phone and sat down. Slowly, he began to browse through the proposal David had written. A moment later, Charles' mind began to ponder over something. To eliminate his confusion, he quickly dialed David.

"David, it's a perfect plan. Let's start it tomorrow. But before that, can you tell me if Ferry still harasses Holley?" David had discovered the relationship between Holley and Ferry a few days ago, and Charles thought it was vital for him to make use of it.

It was an open secret that Holley was dating Rex's son. If the entanglement between his son's girlfriend and Ferry reached Rex's ears, Charles was positive that he wouldn't turn a blind eye.

However, on second thoughts, Charles was not quite sure whether Rex would try to make trouble for Ferry after he learned the truth. Rex was a cautious man and would never loosen the falcon unless he saw the hare with his own eyes. Maybe he would ignore it unless his reputation was at stake.

"How is the Hu Family doing in terms of business?" Charles asked suddenly.

David was confused because he didn't expect that Charles would ask such a question. He hesitated before replying, "I have no idea, Mr. Lu. But don't worry, I'll look into it right now!"

"Okay, try to get it done as soon as possible. If you find something amiss, then fix your eyes on it and dig deeper. It may have something to do with Ferry!" Charles was certain that Ferry was not a man who had the habit of keeping his nose clean. He was someone who believed in a policy of an eye for an eye. It was only a matter of time before he would interfere in the Hu's business. If he hadn't started yet, then it only meant he was waiting for a better chance.

"Copy that, Mr. Lu! There's something I wanted to tell you. The bodyguards told me that Leila went to see Mrs. Lu's attending doctor earlier today. I thought this information might be important to you," David added as soon as he remembered.