Ch. 481..490
Chapter 481
At the policeman’s agreement, Rayna called her assistant. “Ella, contact the best lawyer in Norwal City and ask him to come to the station to meet me.”
“Ms. Garland, are you okay?” Ella asked worriedly.
“I’m fine. I’ve only been charged with the attempted murder of a pregnant woman,” Rayna answered indifferently. “I might not be able to return to the office for a while. You have to keep a close eye on the new product. Also, call Newfirm Media and tell them to look for a stylist named Giselle Brent. Ask her to testify for me, then call Faymon Group and ask Mr. Tylinski to inform Mr. Faymon about my current situation.”
Even if Vivi had evidence of her involvement, as long as she had Curtis’ and Giselle’s statements, she would not be found guilty of the attempted murder.
Ella immediately responded, “Got it. I’ll look for a lawyer right now!”
After ending the call, Rayna realized her palms were damp with cold sweat.
She had wronged Vivi and made her lose her baby.
She could provide any compensation as an apology to Vivi, but she also had to defend her rights.
If she lost the case and the news of her being pregnant and getting released on bail spread, everything would be over.
As the date of the trial was not set yet, Rayna had to stay in the holding cell with other women who were charged with various crimes and had yet to be convicted.
The holding cell was not spacious, but there were eight women in the small space. In fact, there was even one who was arrested drunk and had just vomited in a corner.
The clashing blend of perfume and pungency made Rayna’s stomach churn.
One of the women came over to ask why Rayna was in the holding cell, but Rayna only answered half- heartedly. When that woman could not get any other responses from Rayna, she flitted to another woman to chat away instead.
One night passed, and the policeman who had interrogated Rayna before came to take Rayna out of the holding cell.
Shortly after, Rayna was brought to a desk.
When she noticed a man in a suit sitting by the table and the bag on the desk, she guessed he was the lawyer Ella had hired.
“Ms. Garland”—the lawyer stood up to shake hands with her—”I am your defense attorney, and I will do my best to help you. Please tell me everything that happened and please don’t hide anything from me.”
Rayna inclined her head.
In the following thirty minutes, Rayna informed the lawyer of everything she knew.
Then, the lawyer paused in his note-taking and lifted his head to look at Rayna. “Ms. Garland, may I ask who the father of the children is?”
“Is this relevant to the case?”
“Yes. I heard you used to be in a relationship with Mr. Faymon. If the children are his, then I’ll guess that the herbs were put into the duck stew under Mr. Faymon’s orders.”
Rayna lowered her head and gripped the hem of her clothes.
The lawyer went on, “If that is the case, then you are not involved in this case, Ms. Garland. You gave the stew to Ms. Louden, completely unaware. The one who’s involved in this case should be Mr. Faymon instead.”
“I broke up with him a long time ago. My fiancé is working in Jetroina. I’m sure the chef must have accidentally added the herbs to the duck stew.”
The lawyer stroked his chin in contemplation. “Indeed, some hotel chefs like to add expensive herbs in stews and soups as seasoning.”
“So this has nothing to do with Mr. Faymon?”
“Yes.”
Rayna did not wish to dwell on those matters; she only hoped for Curtis to appear in court to testify for her.
After finding out what happened, the lawyer closed his notebook and said, “I’ll go to Summerbank to find out more details. If Giselle and Curtis are willing to testify for you, there is a ninety percent chance for you to win this case.”
“Okay. Thank you.” The lawyer’s answer was what Rayna had expected.
As long as the two of them could testify for her, she would be fine.
Alas, right as the lawyer left, trouble came.
A police officer told her that the date for the trial had been determined—it would be held ten days later.
Then, Ella called and informed Rayna of two bad news.
One was that Giselle had gone to Valmora with the film crew for filming. They had chosen a ship as their mode of transport, so Ella could not contact her. The second bad news was that Ella had failed to contact Curtis as well, for he and Gabriel had gone on a business trip abroad.
Rayna’s nerves were frayed when she found out about that.
How can this be so coincidental? How can they all be abroad and unreachable at the same time?
“I’ll give you Mr. Faymon’s number.” Rayna then told her the string of numbers off the top of her head. “It’s fine if you can’t get to Giselle, but you have to reach Mr. Faymon. My trial will be held ten days from now.”
“I’ll do that right away.”
Rayna wanted to wait by the phone, but the officer told her that he would come and get her when she received a call. She was sent back to the holding cell instead.
The wait lasted for days.
When the officer finally called Rayna for her call, Rayna eagerly rushed out of the holding cell.
Yet, she found out from Ella that Curtis’ phone remained switched off the entire time, so he was still unreachable.
Rayna’s heart sank to the bottom.
Did he really switch off his phone during his business trip, or is he just not interested in helping me after finding out that I’m in trouble?
Hearing silence from Rayna, Ella said, “Don’t worry, Ms. Garland. I’ll tell the lawyer right away and get the chefs to testify for you. They’ll let them know that you didn’t intend to hurt—”
“Vivi’s husband owns the restaurant,” Rayna said, cutting Ella off. “Vivi’s the one suing me. There’s no way she’s going to let her employees testify for me.”
“Then I’ll call Faymon Group again.” Ella was starting to grow anxious as well. “I’ll find out from them where Mr. Faymon is at right now.”
Rayna licked her dry lips and said hoarsely, “No need. Mr. Faymon is busy. Let’s not disturb him anymore. Keep contacting Giselle and see if she can come back in time before the trial.”
“Okay. Ms. Garland, do you need anything? I can bring it to you.”
“It’s fine. I’m all right.”
Rayna was not in the mood to chat with her assistant, so after giving Ella her instructions, she ended the call with a heavy heart.
Dinner was served later that day, so it was a little cold by the time Rayna received hers.
Some of the women were displeased with the cold dinner, and they wanted the staff at the station to heat them up.
However, the only response they received from the staff member before they left was about how the women should be grateful for receiving free food.
Rayna’s stomach did not feel well after she ate a few mouthfuls of the cold dinner, so she stopped eating.
Curling on the bed, Rayna went into a deep sleep.
Voices kept echoing in her ears. Then, she was suddenly standing in the dock at the trial. No one testified for her, and she was found guilty.
After receiving the report of her pregnancy, the judge decided to release her on bail. Only after she gave birth to her babies would she go to jail.
When she left the station, everyone was calling her a murderer.
The news spread like wildfire, and it burned Rayna’s reputation to ashes. She lost her job, and she had no one to help her out.
Rayna ran. She ran as quickly as her feet could move until she was on a bus in an attempt to leave the place.
The lights on the bus were dim, and there were few people on board.
The bus windows were sealed, and it felt as if the air in the bus was getting thinner and thinner.
Slowly, she found herself breathing laboriously. She wanted to break the window, so she reached out for the safety hammer.
Right then, Rayna woke up.
Her nose and mouth were covered by something soft, and someone was holding her limbs down.
That sobered Rayna up immediately.
She thrashed around and tried to pull her hands free, but the other person had more strength than her. Rayna’s consciousness began to fade.
Chapter 482
“Hey! What are you guys doing?” someone shouted angrily from the side.
The pressure on her arms and legs was gone, and she could breathe again.
Rayna gasped desperately for air as the person removed the pillow from her face and patted her on the cheek.
“Are you okay, Ms. Garland?”
After taking a moment to regain her composure, Rayna slowly opened her eyes.
The person calling out to her worriedly was the woman who had greeted her the other day.
“What happened? Who are you?”
“Someone wanted you dead, so they planted their men in the police station. After finding out about your arrest, Mr. Hamilton got me in here so I could look after you,” the woman replied softly.
Jefferson?
Rayna lowered her head and saw eight women lying on the ground.
They had been beaten up so badly that were barely breathing.
Rayna broke into an icy-cold sneer when she looked up and saw the broken surveillance camera. “Oh, so this is why I couldn’t request a solitary cell.”
“Are you currently experiencing any sort of discomfort, Ms. Garland?”
Rayna shook her head. “No, and it’s all thanks to you. What’s your name?”
“Emerald Clocklore.”
“Clocklore? Are you and Ringo related?” Rayna exclaimed.
“No, we’re not.”
After asking Emerald a few questions, Rayna finally understood what was going on.
Jefferson had sent Emerald over to Norwal City after recognizing Rayna. She had been working for Faymon Group in a lower-level position.
She was the one who made the arrangements for Gerald’s car accident.
Emerald had been protecting Rayna in secret ever since she received her orders two weeks ago.
After finding out about it, Rayna didn’t get mad at all.
“While I don’t like him having people follow me around, my babies and I would’ve been dead if you hadn’t been by my side tonight.”
Usually, Jefferson would be the first to step in to save her whenever she was in danger.
Sometimes, Rayna wondered why the two of them simply couldn’t be together even though he was such a nice man.
After a while, some of the women were starting to regain consciousness.
Rayna glared at her and asked, “Who sent you all to kill me? How much did that person pay you all?”
“It was Mr. Cyrus,” the woman replied.
Rayna grabbed her by the chin and said with a sneer, “Do you really think I don’t know Cyrus? That guy always resorts to dirty tricks! He would never attempt something this bold!”
“It’s up to you whether you believe it or not!” the woman replied with a frown.
Emerald yanked her out of Rayna’s hands and punched her in the face. “Tell us the truth!”
That punch was so hard that it left the woman stunned for a few seconds while blood flowed out of her nose.
After coming back to her senses, the woman screamed at the top of her lungs, “Help! Someone is trying to kill me!”
The door opened immediately, and the police officer, who had been gone for the entire night, came rushing into the cell.
The look on his face turned gloomy when he saw what was going on. “What are you all doing?”
The woman screamed, “Get me out of here! They’re trying to kill me!”
“Oh, looks like I’ve made myself a really powerful enemy here! He got so many people involved just to get at me!” Rayna sneered when she saw the police officer call for backup.
“Watch what you’re saying, Ms. Garland!” said the police officer.
Rayna shot him a cold glare in response. “What? I didn’t mention your name, did I? Why are you getting so nervous?”
Realizing that Rayna was trying to trick him into spilling the beans, the police officer panicked and stopped talking immediately.
He waited for his colleagues to arrive before escorting the women out of there, leaving Emerald and Rayna in the same cell.
“Who else do you think could’ve done this if not Mr. Cyrus?” Emerald asked.
Rayna glanced at her tummy that had gotten slightly bigger.
Suddenly, she recalled how Emma had glared viciously at her when leaving with Selena. In fact, Emma had even threatened to get at her.
“I think I know who it is,” Rayna replied with her lips pursed.
The date of Rayna’s trial was drawing closer, but she had yet to receive a call from her assistant.
It was possible that someone at the police station was deliberately preventing her from receiving the phone call.
Emerald told Rayna not to lose hope, as Jefferson would definitely be on his way to rescue her.
When her trial was three days away, a police officer brought a visitor over to the cell.
“Rayna Garland, you have a visitor.”
Rayna assumed it was a lawyer at first.
It wasn’t until she looked up and saw the beautiful face outside the bars that she froze in shock.
“Hello, Ms. Garland. I came here to collect something. I heard about your lawsuit, so I figured I’d drop by and pay you a visit,” Wendella said politely, her high heels clacking loudly on the floor as she made her way over.
Rayna flashed her a polite smile in return. “It’s an honor to know a famous diplomat like you, Ms. Sainz.”
Wendella’s lips curled into a faint smile as she replied, “Oh, I’ve already resigned. As you know, I had to return to the country because of my marriage. It’d be hardly appropriate for me to continue working overseas after getting married.”
Rayna frowned upon hearing that.
Wendella’s smile widened when she noticed her response. She continued, “I know you’ve done a lot to help Faymon Group in the past. I also know that you’ve been very useful to Curtis. I would like to help you in your time of need as well.”
Rayna’s heart was aching, but she did her best to hide it. “Thank you very much, Ms. Sainz. My trial is in three days. Could you help me contact Mr. Faymon and tell him about my situation? I would appreciate it if he could testify for me in court.”
“He’s really busy. I haven’t been able to get through to him. Curtis told me he’d pick out a wedding ring when he left for his business trip. It seems he really has his hands tied with work,” Wendella said with an awkward expression.
Of course, Rayna could read between the lines and knew exactly what she was implying.
So much for coming here to collect something… I bet she came here to humiliate me on purpose! I can’t believe a diplomat like her is resorting to such petty tricks! This is such a waste of resources that her parents have provided her with!
Rayna flashed her a faint smile. “Oh? Are you getting married to Mr. Faymon soon? In that case, allow me to congratulate you, Ms. Sainz. There’s no need to contact Mr. Faymon if you can’t get through to him.”
“I hear they have really strong evidence against you, Ms. Garland. You are going to lose unless you have someone testify for you,” Wendella replied.
“Yeah, I know. The trial is still three days away, so I’m in no rush. Who knows, Mr. Faymon might just return on that day,” Rayna said nonchalantly.
Noticing that Wendella had gone silent, Rayna continued, “After all, I am Mr. Faymon’s ex-fiancée. He had that duck stew delivered to me because he didn’t want me to go hungry. No one expected things to turn out like this. He’ll definitely try to help me out if he knows I’m being sued, so I have no need to worry.”
“Is that what you have in mind, Ms. Garland? Are you not afraid of getting him in trouble?” Wendella’s expression turned gloomy.
Rayna let out a soft chuckle as she replied, “He won’t help me if he feels that way. Oh, please don’t get the wrong idea, Ms. Sainz. There’s nothing going on between me and Mr. Faymon. I just happen to know him very well, and he’s partially responsible for this incident.”
“Oh, I understand. You knowing him well doesn’t affect my trust in him at all.”
“That’s good to know. The last thing I’d want is for you to think that Mr. Faymon still loves me. I don’t want to ruin your relationship like that.”
The corner of Wendella’s lips twitched slightly.
She thought she had mastered the art of dealing with people after working abroad for so many years, and yet, Rayna had bested her with ease.
“You sure have a way with words, Ms. Garland!” Wendella said with a forced smile.
Rayna pursed her lips. “Thank you. Mr. Faymon said that too. He never dared argue with me because he knows he can’t win. Instead, he finds other ways to bully me.”
The look on Wendella’s face was as cold as ice. “I still have some stuff to take care of. I’ll be on my way now!” she said and stormed off immediately.
“Bye, Ms. Sainz!” Rayna called out to her from behind.
Chapter 483
Wendella quickened her pace and left without looking back.
Emerald’s eyes were wide with shock as she exclaimed, “That was amazing, Ms. Garland! Did you see how mad Ms. Sainz was? Her face was as red as an apple!”
“Hmph! That’s what she gets for running her mouth!”
She’s not the only one who has some tricks up her sleeve!
Emerald nodded and shifted her gaze toward Rayna’s tummy.
“You said you and Mr. Faymon were together. Is that true, Ms. Garland? Does this child belong to—”
Rayna secretly clenched her fists while maintaining a neutral expression. “That was a lie. I only said that to anger Wendella. Mr. Faymon and I never dated, and the babies aren’t his either.”
“Mr. Hamilton’s, then?”
Rayna fell silent for a few seconds before nodding in response.
“So that’s why Mr. Hamilton is so worried about you! It all makes sense now! I saw you and Mr. Faymon being really close to each other back then. You even brought him lunch from time to time. I almost believed the rumors about you two being a couple!”
The look in Rayna’s eyes turned gloomy for a split second before she let out a faint chuckle. “People will spread rumors about anyone who gets close to Mr. Faymon. I remember people talking about Mr. Faymon and Mr. Tylinski being a couple once!”
“Oh, that’s right! I heard that one too! I actually thought Mr. Faymon was bisexual!”
Just like that, Rayna managed to change the topic of the conversation.
As Emerald was extremely passionate about gossiping, she kept rambling on and on.
Rayna would respond every now and then, but her gaze remained fixated on the cell door. An unpleasant feeling formed in her heart as she recalled what Wendella had said earlier.
Are they going to get married?
Still infuriated by Rayna’s taunts, Wendella left the police station with her face scrunched up.
She was about to hail a passing taxi when a young woman walked up to her.
“Ms. Wendella Sainz?”
Wendella frowned slightly when she turned around and looked at the woman. “Aren’t you from Faymon Group’s—”
“Yes, I’m from Faymon Group’s Department of Regulators. My name is Stella Zink. Are you free, Ms. Sainz? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
Noticing that Wendella was in a bad mood, Stella added, “It’s about Rayna.”
“Then go talk to her yourself!” Wendella snapped at her impatiently.
“Ms. Sainz, are you aware that Rayna is pregnant?” Stella pressed on while blocking her path.
Ten minutes later, the two of them made their way to a nearby café.
“What did you mean by that?” Wendella asked the moment they sat down at the table.
Stella simply stared at her without saying a word. After taking a few seconds to connect the dots, Wendella was able to figure it out.
“If you have an issue with her, then you’ll have to settle it yourself. I’m not going to hurt innocent babies,” she said with a frown while leaning against her chair.
Stella retrieved a folder from her handbag and placed it in front of Wendella. “Take a look at this, Ms. Sainz.”
“What is this?” Wendella asked as she opened the folder and glanced through the document. Upon realizing that it was a pregnancy test report, she slammed the document angrily on the table and exclaimed in displeasure, “So what if she’s pregnant with triplets? Do you expect me to congratulate her or something?”
“Aren’t you curious who the father is?”
“What are you trying to say?”
Stella turned the document over and pulled up an itinerary on her phone. “This is Mr. Faymon’s personal itinerary. You won’t find it in the company’s records.”
As Wendella read through the itinerary, she saw that Curtis had been to Jetroina a few days before Christmas.
She then glanced at Rayna’s pregnancy test report and saw the numbers under the gestational age section.
Her face clouded over when she saw that the numbers matched the date of Curtis’ trip.
“They spent Christmas together, and Rayna got pregnant around the same time,” Stella said casually after observing her expression.
Stella used to think that Jefferson was the father of Rayna’s babies.
It wasn’t until she tailed Rayna to the hospital and bribed the doctor to obtain the pregnancy test report that she realized something was amiss. However, she didn’t report her findings to her backer.
Stella then went through Gabriel’s computer while he was away and found Curtis’ personal itinerary. After going through it, she saw that Curtis had headed over to Jetroina a few days before Christmas. Rayna, too, had gone to Jetroina around the same time.
It was as she had expected. Curtis was the father of Rayna’s babies.
Wendella closed the folder. “So what?”
She had gone back to being calm and composed in just ten seconds, much to Stella’s surprise.
Thinking her plan had failed, Stella said, “She’s pregnant with Mr. Faymon’s children, Ms. Sainz. What do you think will happen to your reputation if word gets out about this?”
Wendella leaned back against her chair. “If Curtis really cared about her, he would’ve found out about this long ago. He knows about this. He just doesn’t want to take responsibility, that’s all.”
“What if Rayna decides to tell Mr. Faymon that someone else is the father?” Noticing the frown on Wendella’s face, Stella continued, “It seems you still don’t know Mr. Faymon well enough, Ms. Sainz. He always tries to keep the woman he truly loves hidden from the press. He would never publicly announce his relationship like this. He has been in and out of his relationship with Rayna. He may claim he doesn’t have feelings for Rayna, but you and I both know that’s not true. As a fellow woman, I’m telling you all this because I genuinely feel bad for you. I’m worried that Mr. Faymon might be dating you just to spite Rayna.”
“That woman is unworthy of being compared to me!”
“I’m afraid Mr. Faymon is the one who decides that,” Stella said with a faint smile.
Having achieved her goal, Stella decided it was time for her to go.
“Don’t underestimate Rayna, Ms. Sainz. Your impressive family background is the only advantage you have over her,” she whispered in Wendella’s ear before leaving.
Wendella was still sitting there at the table and staring at the document long after Stella left.
It was soon time for Rayna’s trial, and yet, she hadn’t received her phone call.
She was fully prepared to face the judge in the courtroom when the police officer opened her cell door.
To her surprise, however, the police officer said, “Vivi has withdrawn the lawsuit. You’re free to go.”
Rayna was so shocked that she thought she had misheard him. “What? She withdrew the lawsuit? Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure! Of course, I don’t mind keeping you locked up in here if you prefer it!” the police officer replied impatiently.
Although annoyed with his attitude, Rayna forced herself to bear with it as she needed to get out of there.
After leaving the police station, she had Ella come over to bail Emerald out as well.
Emerald was locked up for driving under the influence of alcohol. All they had to do was pay a fine and sign her bail documents to get her out of there.
“Ms. Garland, do you want to go home and get some rest?” Ella asked when they stepped out of the police station.
“I’m fine. We’ll go straight to the office instead. There’s a lot of work that I need to take care of.” Rayna then turned to Emerald. “Shall I have my assistant send you home?”
Emerald politely declined her offer, “You two can go on ahead. I’ll just hail a taxi myself.”
“All right. Stay safe out there. Thank you very much for looking after me in there. I’ll be sure to treat you to a meal once this is all over,” Rayna said.
Chapter 484
“You’re welcome, Ms. Garland. I didn’t really do much anyway. Right, I’ll be on my way now!”
“Bye!”
Rayna waited until Emerald hailed herself a taxi before getting into Ella’s car.
“What’s the progress on the investigation?” she asked while switching on her phone.
“Ms. Evans did manage to find something. The perfume that Egret Scents released last month wasn’t created by their own perfumer,” Ella replied.
Rayna’s eyes lit up when she heard that. “Did their perfumer buy it from someone else?”
“No.”
“No? So, they didn’t create it, nor did they buy it from someone else. Then where did he get it from?” Rayna asked in confusion.
Ella told her everything that Suzie had managed to find out about.
Suzie had contacted one of Glory’s employees and said she had breached the company’s non- disclosure agreement by handing their perfume to a rival company. Suzie then said she would give that employee a second chance to make things right.
In order to maintain a clean employment record, the employee contacted her sister, who was working for Egret Scents, and asked for her help. As her sister was working in the production team, she was able to befriend the perfumer rather easily.
Egret Scents profited greatly from the sales of that perfume. Because of that, the perfumer became famous and ended up letting his ego get to his head. Two days ago, he got drunk at the company party and let it slip when the sister asked about it.
The perfumer said he received a perfume sample in the mail last month. He didn’t know who sent it to him, but he found its scent incredibly unique. As his higher-ups were pressuring him to come up with a new product, he recreated that perfume sample and submitted it.
The perfumer was a little nervous when the product was first launched. However, he stopped worrying when everything went smoothly after the launch.
After providing Rayna with the full story, Ella added, “Ms. Evans looked up that perfumer’s courier records and found out that it came from a small town in Norwal City. After heading over to the location stated on the address, Ms. Evans discovered that it was a vacant house with no telephone line. She then made a trip to the courier company and asked a courier about the package.”
Rayna arched an eyebrow in response. “So many days have passed by now. That guy probably processes tons of packages on a daily basis. Does he even know who sent it?”
“Apparently, he does. The courier said he remembered a married couple having an argument when he went to collect the package. The woman even gave the man a slap across the face. According to the courier, the woman looked extremely frail and seemed that she had been really ill. She wanted to mail the package out, but the man kept trying to stop her. The woman was still yelling at the man even after the courier left with the package.”
That was when Ella recalled something and handed Rayna a few photographs. “Ms. Evans checked the surveillance camera footage around that couple’s house. She managed to get us these photographs. Have a look and see if you recognize them.”
As the pictures were taken from a surveillance camera, they were rather blurry.
Even so, Rayna could recognize Vivi and her husband almost instantly when she saw the photographs.
That was when Rayna finally understood everything. “I was wondering which one of our perfumers had betrayed us. Who would’ve thought I was the one who caused all this?”
Vivi wanted to get her revenge on me, so she sent that perfume sample to Egret Scents’ perfumer and had him launch it before us! If Glory launched its product afterward, Egret Scents would be able to accuse us of copying its product. That would ruin Glory’s reputation as well as my own.
Unsure of what she meant, Ella asked, “Do you know this couple, Ms. Garland?”
“I do. This woman is the one who sued me for attempting to murder her,” Rayna replied coldly while tearing the photograph to pieces.
That piqued Ella’s curiosity. “Why would she withdraw the lawsuit, then? Could this be another one of her tricks? How about I send you home, Ms. Garland? We’ve already suppressed the news, and we now have the truth. Egret Scents won’t be able to sabotage us even if they try.”
The look in Rayna’s eyes grew increasingly colder with each passing second. “No, take me to the office. I made this mistake myself, so I will clean up after my own mess.”
“All right. As you wish.”
Upon arriving at the office, Rayna had Ella contact the perfumer while she washed up in the bathroom of her office.
There was a shower area in the police station, but Rayna had never used it for fear of being targeted again.
It had been over ten days since Rayna had last showered, so her body was all filthy and stinky.
She chose to come straight to the office because she knew she had toiletries and fresh changes of clothes in her office. On top of that, she had a lot of work to take care of.
After Rayna cleaned herself up, put on a fresh set of clothes, and blew her hair dry, Ella brought their perfumer over.
“Is there something I can help you with, Ms. Garland?”
Rayna handed him some test strips and pointed at the two bottles of samples on the table. “The one on the left is the product that Egret Scents released last month. The one on the right is ours. Go ahead and test them both.”
The perfumer instantly understood what Rayna meant to say. “I’ve been following the news on this, but I didn’t dare say a word as the company didn’t seem to be doing anything about it. I know the exact formula of our product, so I’ll just test the one from Egret Scents.”
“All right.” Rayna nodded.
The perfumer proceeded to test Egret Scents’ product.
It wasn’t long before he realized something. “Egret Scents’ perfume smells just like ours, but there is a slight difference in the base note.”
“Yes, I noticed that as well,” Rayna said.
She had tested Egret Scents’ perfume back then and noticed something different about it even though it smelled the same. “So, the issue lies in the base note, huh?”
The perfumer nodded. “The three distinct elements that make up a fragrance are top notes, heart notes, and base notes. Base notes are especially important to a perfume, and our perfume has a rather
unique base note. It’s only available in Faulkay and costs a lot. I’m guessing Egret Scents’ perfumer either didn’t notice it or replaced it with something else because of its high cost.”
Rayna breathed a sigh of relief. “Regardless, we’ll finally be able to resolve this issue.”
Because Egret Scents had attacked first by accusing Glory of stealing their product, Glory had suffered huge losses as its stocks had taken a direct hit.
She needed to resolve the issue as soon as possible, or the headquarters might fire her as punishment.
Rayna had the perfumer leave before summoning Ella. She had Ella contact Egret Scents’ perfumer and the person in charge. She also told the press that they would be holding a press conference.
After that, Rayna ordered some food and listened to her babies’ heartbeat using the B-scan ultrasound device.
She hadn’t been eating or sleeping well during her stay at the police station. Her babies moved a lot less throughout the past few days, so she was a little worried about their well-being.
However, with all eyes on her, she couldn’t possibly head over to the hospital for an examination.
Rayna breathed a sigh of relief when she learned that her babies were breathing.
A few moments later, Ella came into her office with a few bags of food in her hands. “Ms. Garland, I just received a call from Ms. Brenn of Newfirm Media. Apparently, Ms. Brenn was rushing back to testify for you the moment she found out about the lawsuit. However, the airport staff claimed there was an issue with Ms. Brenn’s visa and detained her for a few days. They confiscated her phone and only gave it back to her when they released her today. She called me as soon as she could.”
Chapter 485
Upon hearing that, Rayna knew that someone had deliberately played dirty tricks and made it difficult for Giselle to return so that the latter could not alibi her.
Rayna tried to recall the happenings at the lock-up. As she started connecting the dots, she could guess who the mastermind was. “I see. Give Ms. Brenn a call and thank her for rushing back for my sake. Everything’s settled here, and she can return to where she came from.”
Ella nodded. “I’ve contacted the person in charge of Egret Scents as well as more than ten media companies. We shall hold a press conference at two in the afternoon in the conference room. Is that okay, Ms. Garland?”
“Sure! I’ll be there at two sharp.”
Immediately after Ella left, Rayna opened up the takeout boxes and enjoyed her piping hot spaghetti bolognese. It warmed her tummy up and made her feel better.
While eating her delicious food, she had flashbacks of Curtis making the same food for her.
Although the spaghetti bolognese he cooked for her was very salty and the plating was bad too, she found it extremely appetizing.
It was the first time that man had ever made a meal for her. Moreover, it was a plate of spaghetti bolognese.
Rayna’s heart ached whenever she thought about the past.
She tried to distract herself by whipping out her phone and calling a private detective.
The line was connected about ten seconds later.
“Ms. Garland.” After greeting Rayna, the private detective joked, “I heard that a small company is suing Glory. Are you perhaps planning to engage my service to find out more about them?”
Rayna took her time to swallow her food before answering, “I can settle that case within today. The reason I called is to obtain the dirt on an individual.”
“Who is it? Your arch enemy?”
“The Xavier family.”
The private detective kept quiet.
After a minute of silence, he replied cryptically, “You know, Ms. Garland, I’m just a small business owner. I don’t want to take the risk and end up hurting myself.”
“I know. I won’t let you take uncalculated risks.”
When Rayna was making her way to the company earlier, she had thought about a special plan. “You just need to focus on the investigation and leave the rest to me. Besides good remuneration, I’ll also help you obtain Yartran citizenship.”
“Really?” The private detective found it unbelievable. “It’s not easy to apply to be a citizen of Yartran. Are you sure you can help me with that, Ms. Garland?”
Rayna was resolute. “Yes. Email me all your details, and I’ll get it done within a month at most. If anything happens to you during the investigation process, I’ll bear full responsibility. They won’t do anything to you.”
The private detective pondered for a long while. He then replied firmly, “All right. As long as you can change my nationality, I’ll check on the Xavier family for you and keep you posted, Ms. Garland.”
Rayna heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I’ll transfer the money to the same account.”
“Sure!”
Shortly after hanging up, Rayna received an email from the detective containing all of his personal information.
She browsed through it before sending the details to Ringo.
Since Emma was bold enough to harm her and her children at the lock-up, right under the noses of the police officers, she would not let it slide.
Ringo texted: How soon do you expect the task to be completed?
As soon as Rayna confirmed the request to be super urgent, Ringo told her he would get it done through his personal connections, and the fastest would be half a month later.
Upon seeing the message, Rayna thanked him sincerely.
Ringo texted again: Ms. Garland, you should thank Mr. Hamilton. The only reason why I’d satisfy all of your requests is that he regards you with high importance.
Rayna wrote: Emerald told me he’s back in Norwal City. Is that right?
When they were still being retained at the lock-up, Emerald had told Rayna that Jefferson had been informed of the matter, and he should be making a trip back to Norwal City. However, Rayna did not see him even after she was released.
Rayna hoped that Jefferson did not come back for her sake because she was worried that Arnaud would plan something against him in secret.
However, Ringo did not respond to her message.
While waiting for a reply, Rayna read her notes prepared for the press conference.
Yet, she could not help but wonder if Ringo was busy with work in Jetroina, as he had yet to reply to her message.
After what seemed like an eternity, the phone rang.
It was Ella. “Ms. Garland, the media is here. Are you ready?”
“Yes. I’ll be right there.”
Rayna kept her phone in the drawer and grabbed her suit jacket from the chair.
Back when she was looking for a venue for her office, she had custom-made two loose suit jackets for official occasions.
For the event in the afternoon, it would be inappropriate for her to dress casually.
She went to the bathroom and checked in the mirror for her peace of mind. Once she saw that the suit jacket could hide her baby bump, she left the room.
Ella was already waiting for her by the elevator.
She pressed the button as soon as she saw Rayna approaching.
“Ms. Garland, you look somewhat different today,” commented Ella.
Rayna’s heart skipped a beat. She thought Ella had discovered her pregnancy. “I don’t look good in this suit jacket?”
“No. It’s not about the jacket.” Ella pondered for a while. “In the past, you looked rather timid, and you’re always feeling sentimental. But now it seems you’ve become fearless.”
Oh, I see.
They both entered the elevator.
Rayna explained, “It’s because I’ve learned that there’s no use to be scared. Instead, it’s better to tell the world that I’m not one to be trifled with.”
The more she gave in to others, the more they would think of ways to attack her.
If that was the case, Rayna thought she might as well face the challenges head-on.
Ella led Rayna to the conference room.
As soon as they opened the door, they were greeted by a full audience of reporters.
Two men were sitting on the stage, and one of them exuded an imposing aura as he answered the reporters’ questions.
Ella took a quick glance at the stage and uttered, “I’m sorry, Ms. Garland. I invited them on stage, but I didn’t expect them to commence before the scheduled time.”
“It’s okay. It’s hard to keep the reporters seated or for them to remain silent.” Rayna could not be bothered. “Did you bring the item?”
Ella showed her the briefcase. “Yes. It’s in here.”
“Good.” Rayna then put on a polite smile and entered the conference room without any hesitation.
“Thank you for coming to Glory at this hour.”
Everyone had their gazes fixed on Rayna the moment she started talking.
Even after joining Glory, Rayna had always been a low-key figure.
Not many people within the industry knew that Glory had had a change of top management.
Unbeknownst to the public, Glory’s new vice CEO was actually a woman. Nobody was aware of that until they started digging for information about the company when Egret Scents released an official statement accusing Glory of plagiarism and theft more than ten days ago.
Then, rumor had it that the vice CEO was suspected of murdering a pregnant lady, bringing the matter to a climax in an instant.
The reporters were eager to meet the vice CEO of Glory in person. When they found out that Glory would be holding a press conference, they had come running with their tools and equipment at the drop of a hat.
Rayna was in the limelight. Everyone kept clicking on the camera shutter to snap her pictures.
A reporter gasped in shock when he finally recognized her. “I remember now. Ms. Garland was the former acting CEO of Faymon Group, known for her capabilities. Why is she with Glory now?”
“I thought she looked familiar too. Is she the same Rayna who got into a scandal with Mr. Faymon?”
“Yes, I think she’s the one!”
The reporters made a beeline for Rayna and bombarded her with a series of questions upon realizing that she, a former employee at Faymon Group was involved in a scandal with Curtis.
Their unrehearsed, sharp questions rang in her ears, making her feel very annoyed.
Rayna signaled Ella and the security guard for help.
Once the reporters were forced to keep a safe distance from Rayna, she announced calmly, “Ladies and gentlemen, the purpose of this press conference is for Glory to clarify the accusations alleged by Egret Scents. If you’re interested in getting to know me and finding out where I used to work, I’ll invite you for tea when I’m free. At that time, I’ll make sure to answer all of your questions.”
Chapter 486
Ella piped up, “Please return to your seats accordingly. Otherwise, I’ll show you the door.”
As the reporters thought about how important the press conference was, coupled with how fierce the ever-ready security guards looked, they did not dare to raise a ruckus and returned to their seats obediently.
However, a few of them continued to murmur among themselves.
When Rayna walked up the stage, the person in charge of Egret Scents, Marcelo, and the perfumer, Felipe Saunders, stood up immediately and shook her hand.
“Ms. Garland.”
Rayna smiled politely at them and said, “Thank you for making time to attend today’s event.”
“Please don’t mention it. It hasn’t been easy on us too,” Marcelo said. “Someone created an issue out of nothing and slandered us. Egret Scents was clearly the first company to launch the products. How on earth have we become the bad guy? We hope you can clarify the matter today, Ms. Garland.”
“Don’t worry.” Rayna smiled. “The reporters are here for one reason only, which is to reveal the truth as to why our perfume shares an identical scent as yours.”
Marcelo’s heart skipped a beat when he saw how confident Rayna was.
She must have discovered something, or else she wouldn’t have called for a press conference. I bet we’re going to get it rough today.
After sitting down, Marcelo asked Felipe discreetly, “Are you sure you were the one who formulated the perfume? You didn’t steal Glory’s idea?”
Felipe panicked, but he quickly kept calm and answered, “Yes, I formulated it myself.”
“Good.” Marcelo felt more assured upon hearing his reply. “Since we’re the first to launch the perfume, all we need to do is to insist that Glory plagiarized us.”
Felipe nodded. I’ve deleted the recipient records, so it’s impossible for Glory to have dirt on me. I’m sure the press conference is just a show.
Soon, Ella put the items requested by Rayna in front of her.
There were two bottles of perfume samples, several pieces of fragrance tester strips, and a document.
With one hand placed on the document, Rayna looked across the table and fixed her eyes on Felipe.
“Mr. Saunders, if you choose to tell the truth now, we can still reconcile, and Glory won’t pursue the matter any further.”
“What truth are you talking about?” Felipe chuckled. With both his arms folded across his chest, he side-eyed Rayna. “The truth is your company’s perfumer replicated my perfume, and you packaged it into a newly launched product.”
Rayna’s gaze darkened. She asked once more, “Mr. Saunders, aren’t you going to consider what I’ve just said?”
“Ms. Garland,” Marcelo interrupted rudely, “it is your company that stole our product. What do you think you’re doing? Are you forcing our perfumer to admit something he didn’t commit?”
All cameras stationed below the stage focused on the trio at once.
Every single word said was heard loud and clear.
A reporter queried, “Well, Ms. Garland, Egret Scents launched the perfume first. What other truth are you referring to?”
“Don’t tell us that your perfumer had the same idea as Egret Scents’ perfumer, and they both produced the same perfume. We won’t be fooled.”
“What are the odds?”
“Not two of the leaves growing from the same tree are identical. What more about perfumes?”
Once someone started commenting, the others began to chime in.
Instantly, the conference room was in an uproar.
When Rayna realized how stubborn the opposite party was, she was determined not to give in anymore.
With that, she picked up a bottle of perfume sample and sprayed it on the tester strip. Subsequently, she handed it over to Felipe.
“Mr. Saunders, if you were the one who created this bottle of perfume, I’m sure you’d know its ingredients, right?”
Felipe grimaced and scoffed, “What nonsense!”
“If so, please smell the tester strip and tell us what are they,” said Rayna.
Felipe glanced at her, wondering what trick she had up her sleeves.
Anyhow, he accepted the tester strip and lowered his head to sniff it.
A moment later, Felipe listed the ingredients he had identified.
Nodding, Rayna picked up another sample bottle and repeated the same actions.
Infuriated, Felipe bellowed, “Are you fooling me around, Ms. Garland? I created this perfume. How would I not know its ingredients?”
“I know, but I just need you to sniff it one more time.” Rayna smirked. “Please, Mr. Saunders.”
Felipe said nothing and took the strip with a scowl on his face.
He sniffed at it and realized it had a slightly different scent compared to the one he smelled before.
This particular one diffuses fast, and it gives out a very comforting scent. It smells like… the one I received from the delivery! It smells exactly the same!
As the daunting realization dawned on him, Felipe’s hand shook, causing him to nearly chuck the tester strip away.
Rayna noticed his actions and knew that he was able to distinguish the two scents, so he asked on purpose, “Mr. Saunders, do you think that this perfume smells the same as the previous one?”
“Yes. There’s no difference,” he responded.
I doubt Rayna is a perfumer herself. For a non-professional, she won’t be able to tell the difference. Moreover, I’ve only made changes to the base notes. Felipe was full of confidence.
He decided to lead the conversation. “Ms. Garland, theft is a serious crime. As long as Glory makes a sincere apology to me and Egret Scents, as well as retrieves your latest products in the market, we’ll consider the case closed.”
Rayna shook her head and smiled. “You’re a perfumer with an innate olfactory talent, but you couldn’t tell that some ingredients in these two perfume samples have been changed.”
“Ella,” she called upon her assistant. “Take these two perfumes and have the reporters smell them.”
“Sure, Ms. Garland.”
Felipe was startled for a moment before he maintained a calm composure again.
Glory has a professional perfumer. It’s nothing unusual that they could distinguish the differences in two perfumes.
Felipe said, “I knew you wouldn’t have asked me to smell the fragrances for no apparent reason. Actually, I did realize a change in the base notes of the sample perfume. Why do you bother doing all these? Are you trying to tell the reporters that the perfumes were formulated differently and that Glory did not plagiarize our idea?”
Felipe mistook Rayna’s silence for her feeling guilty. He approached her and went on, “I personally created this perfume, but your company stole my idea and replicated my product. Then, you made minimal changes to it and repackaged it as a new product. Come on, Ms. Garland, the noses of the public don’t lie.”
While Felipe was speaking, the reporters were busy comparing the two bottles of perfume.
None of them was a professional perfumer, so they could not tell if the ingredients used were the same. However, they could identify a slight difference between the two.
“The fragrance of the yellow tester strip smells nicer. The scent has a soothing effect.”
“I concur. The one from the blue tester strip isn’t very pleasant. It gives me a tight feeling in the chest.”
“The one from the yellow test strip is a product of our company, whereas the blue one was personally formulated by Mr. Saunders.” Rayna turned to Felipe and repeated his words slowly. “Indeed, the noses of the public don’t lie.”
“Your company plagiarized—”
Chapter 487
Before Felipe could say more, Rayna interrupted him, “Mr. Saunders, as a perfumer, you should know that a perfume has to be popular before it can be called a success. However, everyone prefers the perfume from my company and dislikes yours. The reason is that you have stolen it from us but failed to discover the exact ingredients to recreate the scent. Therefore, you resorted to replacing it with a different ingredient.”
“Bullsh*t!” Felipe defended himself. “It’s clear that you were the ones who stole our product and modified it. And now, you’re attacking us, the original creators?”
Marcelo added, “Ms. Garland, you said you would provide us with an explanation. Is twisting the truth in front of the reporters supposed to be it? You accused our perfumer of stealing the perfume, but how did he do it?”
“Mr. Saunders knows very well where he got it.” Rayna flashed a slight smile before flipping the document on the table open.
It showed the record of Felipe accepting a delivery last month, which was sent from an old residential area in Norwal City. The delivery man had also noted down that the package contained perfume.
The sight of the document contents caused Felipe to panic as he explained nervously, “It was just a delivery of perfume I bought on the internet. How could you accuse me of plagiarism based on something like that?”
“What about this?” Rayna retrieved a recording pen from her pocket.
Once Rayna played it, Felipe’s drunken voice rang out. He was telling someone that he had struck gold in a delivery that he had received.
The sound of his own words drained the color from Felipe’s face. “Ms. Garland, you’re really despicable to—”
“Take a listen. That’s your own voice. I didn’t force you to do anything.” Wearing a faint smile, Rayna said to the media, “Glory has never stolen any of Egret Scents’ products.”
One of the reporters asked curiously, “If you didn’t plagiarize them, why were they the first ones to bring the product to the market? Mind explaining it to us, Ms. Garland?”
“I’ll do so in a while.”
Ella brought forward another document, and Rayna opened it to show everyone. It contained the formula for the perfume Felipe was holding, Glory’s purchase contract for it, and a non-disclosure agreement.
With the evidence laid bare to all, Rayna took a deep breath before elaborating calmly, “The fault is mine to have allowed all this confusion to happen in the first place. When I went to Summerbank for work last month, I gave a newly-made friend of mine a sample of the perfume. Unfortunately, that friend sent the sample to Mr. Saunders of Egret Scents in an attempt to sabotage me.” Rayna proceeded to bow sincerely in front of the cameras. “I’m sorry that my mistake has damaged the company’s reputation. I would also like to thank everyone for coming and giving me this opportunity to clarify.”
Shocked by the turn of events, Marcelo berated Felipe, “Didn’t you claim that you formulated it yourself? Why does Glory have evidence to show that you stole it?”
“I-I have no idea.” Cold sweat began to break out on Felipe’s forehead. “Hurry up and think of a way to fix this. Otherwise, the company will suffer and my reputation will take a hit.”
“You fool! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
Felipe put on a bitter look. “Management was piling pressure on me to come up with a new product. I was left with no choice, so I—”
“Shut up!”
Despite Marcelo’s anger, the company’s reputation took priority at that moment. In less than a minute, he came up with a countermeasure.
After Rayna spoke to the reporters, he walked up to her.
“Ms. Garland, our staff has unknowingly used a perfume sample sent to him by someone. Furthermore, he had no idea that the product belonged to your company.”
Marcelo lowered his voice, hoping to resolve the matter amicably with Rayna.
Rayna had already given Felipe two chances. Unfortunately, instead of being grateful, he spurned her olive branches by hurling malicious accusations at her.
At that moment, Rayna was in no mood to show any mercy as a ruthless glint flashed across her eyes. “You know the law better than I do. You should have known the consequences of using something that doesn’t belong to you. If he had only reverse-engineered the product, we would be willing to let the matter slide if you would give up the profits. Unfortunately, he added his name to the product and sold it through the Egret Scents brand.”
Marcelo offered, “I’ll have the products pulled from the shelf at once and release a statement.”
Rayna smiled. “Is that all you’re going to do? Do you know how much damage you have caused to our company’s market value when you insisted we plagiarized your product?”
“Ms. Garland, you’d better not go too far!” Marcelo’s face turned grim. “It was your mistake to give your new product away. Even my staff is a victim of the circumstances!”
“I admit that the error is mine, but that doesn’t give your company the right to profit from someone else’s product!”
Marcelo was dumbfounded by Rayna’s retort.
Tapping her finger on the document, Rayna demanded, “Pull your products from the shelf, recall those that have been sold to consumers, and get Felipe to apologize to my company publicly. Otherwise, if this matter ends up in court, I’m sure you know better than I do who’s going to suffer a greater loss.”
Marcelo balled his fists in response.
Given the comprehensive evidence in Rayna’s hands, settling with her right now was a small price to pay in contrast to going to court, where the reputational damage would be huge. With the speed of present-day media, news of it would spread across the country like wildfire.
After weighing the pros and cons of the matter, Marcelo had no choice but to accept Rayna’s conditions.
“I’ll order the products to be removed from sale and issue a letter of apology. I hope you’ll help us minimize our losses.”
Rayna responded with a cordial smile. “Don’t worry. I, too, thank you for agreeing with my proposal.”
Marcelo was speechless. It’s not like you left me a choice at all!
Meanwhile, the reporters grew restless when they saw Rayna and Marcelo whispering softly to each other, out of earshot.
“Ms. Garland, what are you discussing? Please speak up!”
“Exactly. If we can’t hear anything, how are we going to write anything on Glory’s behalf?”
Hearing that, Rayna flashed a small smile. “Marcelo has just informed me that Mr. Saunders had used the sample his friend gave him without going through due process. Now that they have learned of the truth, Egret Scents will pull the perfume from the shelves, buy back those which have been sold, and publish a letter of apology. For that, I thank him for the kind consideration he has offered me and my company.”
Shocked by the news, Felipe went up to Marcelo and asked, “What’s the meaning of this? Have you resolved the matter?”
“What other choice do we have? Go to court and have our company’s name splashed across the headlines?” Marcelo shot him a glare. “If you still intend on keeping your job, you better apologize to Glory in front of the press. Do you understand?”
Seeing that Felipe had nothing to say, Marcelo reiterated, “Say that you didn’t know and apologize sincerely to Glory. Do you hear me?”
“I do.” Felipe clenched his fists discreetly.
Subsequently, he offered his apology and admitted his mistake in front of all the cameras.
Only then did Rayna break into a smile over the settlement both sides had agreed upon.
When the press conference was finally over, Rayna personally escorted Marcelo and Felipe out.
Ella, on the other hand, distributed the gift packs that had been prepared ahead of time to the members of the press.
Chapter 488
With the words “Chanel” emblazoned across the packaging, the value of the gifts couldn’t be more evident.
When the contents of the box were revealed, one could see a bottle of perfume, a bottle of facial wash, and a small classic clutch bag inside.
Upon receiving such an expensive gift, the members of the press read between the lines and knew what they were required to write in their respective articles.
Rayna walked the two men from Egret Scents to the elevator. “Thank you for coming by today.”
She shook hands with both of them.
Once he stepped into the elevator, Marcelo remarked, “Ms. Garland turns out to be someone not to be trifled with.”
“And a ruthless woman too!” the distraught Felipe added.
He had assumed that Glory would be doomed by the plagiarism scandal and Rayna’s arrest for murdering a pregnant lady.
Little did he expect her to organize a press conference to lay out all the evidence she had.
Giving Felipe the side-eye, Marcelo sneered, “So what if she’s a woman? At least she has more brains than you. You’re nothing but an idiot to have used a product with unclear origins!”
Felipe defended himself, “Someone wanted to seek revenge on her. I was just unlucky to be dragged into it.”
“You’re lucky that we arrived at a settlement,” Marcelo replied in a snarky tone. “Count your blessings that she and Mr. Faymon have broken up. Otherwise, he would have ended your career given how protective he is.”
After both men exited the elevator, Felipe asked, “Was she really in a relationship with Mr. Faymon?”
“Hmph! You think?”
With a derisive look in his eyes, Felipe glanced over his shoulder. “It’s great being a woman. All she has to do is lie down and spread her legs to get whatever she wants. And just like that, she’s appointed the vice CEO of a listed company.”
“How do you know she isn’t capable at all?”
“With her background, there’s no way she would have been given the opportunity to showcase her talent even if she had any unless she takes the unscrupulous route.”
“You’d better shut your trap!” Marcelo barked. “If you have time to waste on gossip, you might as well spend it researching new products!”
Since they were still inside Glory’s office, it would be troublesome if anyone in the lobby overheard their conversation.
Consequently, Felipe fell silent as both of them swiftly left Glory.
Meanwhile, a man who had just brushed past their shoulders came to a stop. As he turned around to look at Felipe’s leaving silhouette, his lips curled into a smile before he calmly strode into the elevator.
Coincidence had allowed him to overhear the second half of the conversation.
Now that the matter had been resolved, Rayna returned to her office and settled down.
Before she had the chance to sip her coffee, a knock on the door preceded Ella’s entrance. She was followed by a towering figure of a man.
“Ms. Garland, Mr. Snyder of Snyder Group is here to see you.”
Wearing a genial smile, Jasper greeted, “Ms. Garland, it’s been a while.”
“Mr. Snyder.” Rayna got up to her feet to receive him.
“You seem busy. Am I interrupting in any way?” Jasper asked cordially.
“It’s fine. I’m done with work.” Rayna ushered him to the couch before pouring him a cup of coffee. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“There is, but it’s a personal matter of mine,” Jasper said as he retrieved an IOU to show Rayna. “Your friend borrowed five hundred thousand from me and told me that you’d honor the debt if I couldn’t find her.”
“Five hundred thousand?”
The massive amount came as a rude shock to Rayna as she grew curious about the person who borrowed the money.
When she took the IOU and saw Jessica’s name and thumbprint on it, she felt her heart drop.
“Why did she borrow so much money from you?” she asked in a concerned tone.
While speaking, Rayna got up to retrieve her phone from the drawer but quickly realized that it was gone.
Sensing something amiss, Jasper asked, “What is it, Ms. Garland?”
“I lost my phone.”
“Do you need to make a call?” Jasper held out his phone. “If it’s urgent, you can use mine first.”
Thinking that she had misplaced it, Rayna opened all the other drawers to look but to no avail.
Left without a choice, she gave Kristie a call with Jasper’s phone.
While waiting for the call to connect, she asked Jasper, “Why would Jessie borrow money from you? I think you don’t know that I’m friends with her, right?”
“Indeed, I don’t.” Jasper cocked a brow. “But I know Mr. Lopez and saw her by his side on one occasion when he introduced her as his girlfriend. I’m sure you also know about Mr. Faymon and Mr. Lopez’s relationship. But now that Ms. Marsh and Mr. Lopez have broken up, it would be inappropriate for me to demand Wyatt honor the debt.”
“Where did you run into her?”
“The hospital. I was passing by and wanted to see the doctor for a sore throat I was having. The moment I stepped into the lobby, I saw Ms. March crying and pacing anxiously in the lobby with her phone in her hand.”
Back then, Jasper had thought that something serious had happened to Jessica when he saw her covered in blood. Since she was Wyatt’s girlfriend, he figured it would be a good idea to help her so that Wyatt would owe him a favor.
He approached her by introducing himself as a friend of Wyatt’s before offering his help.
Jessica had wanted to ignore him initially, but when she failed to make her call, she asked him whether she could borrow five hundred thousand to pay for a family member’s surgery.
“Please don’t tell Wyatt about this.” With tears streaming down her cheeks, Jessica borrowed a pen and paper from the dispensary and wrote Jasper the IOU.
“If you fail to find me after this, you can go to Glory to see Rayna. She will pay you back on my behalf.”
Taking into consideration how desperate Jessica was to readily write an IOU and her close relationship with Rayna, Jasper settled the bill on her behalf and got his assistant to bring cash for the outstanding amount.
The moment she got her hands on the money, Jessica disappeared frantically.
After waiting for a few days and not hearing from Jessica, Jasper decided to come to Glory upon learning that Rayna, who had been released from the police station, had organized a press conference.
After listening to Jasper’s story, Rayna grew even more anxious.
Didn’t Jessie arrange for her uncle and aunt to go on an overseas trip? What other relatives does she have? Did something happen to Kristie and Carl?
Just as Rayna’s imagination began to run wild, the call connected and Kristie’s voice subsequently rang out. “Hello?”
“Kristie, it’s me. Where are you? Is Carl with you? Are both of you all right?”
Kristie replied, “We’re fine, Rayna, but something happened to Jessica.”
“Isn’t she with you?”
“No,” Kristie answered in a weary tone. “Where are you, Rayna? I’ll come over to see you. So much has happened that I don’t even know where to start over the phone.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be right back once I finish up in the office.”
After ending the call, Rayna returned Jasper his phone before turning on the computer to make the transfer to Jasper’s card.
Once she paid him back, she said, “Thank you for lending her the money at the hospital, Mr. Snyder.”
“It’s no problem at all. Besides, you have already paid me back.” Jasper proceeded to shake her hand. “I can see how busy you are, so I won’t take up any more of your time.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
“It’s fine, Ms. Garland. You should get back to work.”
After watching Jasper stroll nonchalantly out of her office, Rayna continued to rummage through her drawers for her phone.
Despite turning her entire office upside down, she still couldn’t find her phone.
Damn it! Where’s my phone?
Rayna cursed under her breath as she put on her jacket.
She hurried out of the office to see Ella in the room next door. “Can you help me look for my phone? I’ve no idea where I left it. If you find it, give it back to me tomorrow morning. I need to head home now.”
Chapter 489
Upon leaving the office, Rayna hailed a taxi and headed straight home.
When she arrived at Kristie’s door, she was struck by a dizzy spell that forced her to hold on to the wall for support. Only then did she manage to press the doorbell after much effort.
Soon, someone came to open the door.
“Rayna!” Kristie supported Rayna at once when she saw how pale the latter looked.
“I’m fine,” Rayna reassured her as both of them walked through the door.
Carl came up to her with a cup of warm water and a dejected look on his face. “I’m sorry, Ms. Rayna, for being of no help at all. I could only stand idly by and watch you get taken away by the police.”
Giving his hair a tousle, Rayna consoled him in a gentle tone, “Don’t think that way. Look, I’m fine now, am I not?”
She asked Kristie next, “What happened to Jessie?”
“She panicked upon learning of your arrest through the news. When I failed to get hold of Curt, she contacted Vivi instead, hoping to speak to her directly. I wanted to go with her, but she refused. After spending the entire day outside, she finally returned at night saying that Vivi had decided to withdraw the lawsuit.”
Rayna was jolted by the revelation as the truth became clear to her.
“And here I was wondering why Vivi withdrew the lawsuit. It turned out…” Bitterness began to fill Rayna’s heart.
She had assumed that it was Curtis who had helped her from the shadows, but it turned out to be Jessica.
After suppressing her turbulent emotions, Rayna asked anxiously, “Where is she now?”
“I have no idea.” Kristie shook her head. “The following day, her face drastically changed when she received a call. She left in such a hurry that she didn’t even change her shoes. When she finally returned in the evening, she looked terrible and was covered in blood. She handed me a phone and a ward number in General Hospital with the instructions to check in there every three days. After that, she left so quickly that neither myself nor Carl could stop her.”
Rayna caught her breath as panic began to set in. “When did this happen? Did she not come back ever since?”
“This was three days ago.”
“Did she not tell you where she was going?”
“She told me she was going back to her old place when I asked. She even asked you to help her take care of the person in the hospital on her behalf. Rayna, didn’t she stay with you before this? Does she have another home in Norwal City?”
Her old place?
Thinking about Jessica’s condition, her relative in the hospital, and the words she said to Kristie before she left, Rayna figured Jessica must have run into Wyatt while she was out.
She sprang up from the couch with her brows tightly furrowed. “Kristie, give me the ward number.”
However, the moment she got on her feet, her head began to swoon and her limbs felt wobbly.
“Rayna”—Kristie helped her back to her seat—”your body has reached its limit. Why don’t you rest a little first? After all, you headed straight to the office upon being released from the police station.”
“I’m fine. I can rest in the car.” Rayna struggled back up. “I’m really worried about Jessie.”
If she hadn’t taken the risk of going out in order to help me, Wyatt wouldn’t have found her.
At that moment, Carl held her hand tightly, showing strength that was beyond his small stature. With a serious expression, he said, “Ms. Rayna, we understand that you’re worried, but you and the babies need rest too.”
Kristie asked quizzically, “What baby?” Noticing the small bump in Rayna’s abdomen, she gasped. “Rayna, you’re pregnant?”
“Aunt Kristie, stop being so dramatic. Just keep an eye on her,” Carl instructed as he slipped away to give the doctor a call.
“Rayna, this is too much! How could you not tell me you’re pregnant?” Kristie watched over Rayna as she pouted in anger. “Even that brat knows about it!”
“There was just so much going on that I forgot to tell you.”
“I don’t believe you!” Kristie let out a snort. “You must be worried about me telling Curt about it.”
Rayna was rendered speechless by the response.
Despite the clueless look on her face, she’s still one sharp girl.
Knowing that lying was not an option, Rayna grunted in acknowledgment before explaining flatly, “I broke up with him a long time ago. Besides, the children aren’t his.”
With a blank look on her face, Kristie couldn’t help but ask, “W-Whose are they?”
“I’m thirsty. Can you get me a glass of water?” Rayna handed the glass to Kristie. “Oh, and get me something to eat.”
“Rayna, you haven’t answered my—”
“I’m feeling dizzy.” Rayna massaged her temple with a grimace on her face.
Kristie refrained from pressing on with her questions as she hurried off to the kitchen to get some water and snacks.
By the time she returned and hoped to find out more, Rayna had preempted her by swiftly changing the topic.
In the end, the question simply slipped off Kristie’s mind.
Twenty minutes later, the doctor arrived.
As Carl mentioned over the phone that the patient was pregnant, Kristie’s personal doctor had sent a gynecologist over.
She started out by asking her a few basic questions.
After scrutinizing her face, she put on her gloves and asked, “How many months are you into the pregnancy? Do you feel any discomfort in your stomach?”
“It’s about five months now,” Rayna replied. “I don’t feel any discomfort, but it does hurt a little when the babies kick me.”
“Lift up your top for me to check.”
Upon hearing the gynecologist’s instructions, Carl quietly step out of the bedroom, for he was too embarrassed to stay.
Rayna complied and revealed her porcelain white abdomen.
The gynecologist began feeling around her sides. After a brief observation, she asked, “How many?”
“Triplets.”
“What!” Kristie’s eyes opened wide as she stared at Rayna’s stomach. “How can three babies fit inside such a small space?”
Even the gynecologist was shocked, but she regained her composure quickly. “Your stomach is indeed small at five months… But it’s probably related to your body constitution. What do you usually eat?”
“I’m not a picky eater, but I do avoid unhealthy food.”
The doctor nodded in response. “How often do you go for a checkup? Are you on any medication?”
“I go for a monthly checkup and only take medications prescribed by the doctor.” The gynecologist’s detailed questions caused Rayna to frown. “What is it? Is there something wrong with the babies?”
“Not at all,” the gynecologist replied. “They are very healthy. All you need to do is watch what you eat. As for the labor suppressants, there’s no need to continue them. Also, remember not to tire yourself out.”
At that moment, Rayna heaved a sigh of relief. “Okay, thank you. I get nervous whenever doctors ask me plenty of questions. I’m just worried that I’m not taking good care of the babies.”
“Well, everything is fine. I’ll be on my way now.”
“Let me walk you out, doctor,” Kristie offered as she helped the doctor pack.
Upon arriving at the door, the gynecologist lowered her voice and asked Kristie, “Ms. Winton, I know who she is and that she has gone out with Mr. Faymon before. In that case, is she carrying—”
“I’m just as clueless as you are,” Kristie answered ambiguously, worried that the doctor would gossip. “You’d better not forget who you’re working for and remember to keep your lips sealed!”
“Yes, yes.”
Knowing who Kristie was to Curtis, the doctor naturally didn’t dare inquire any further.
When the gynecologist returned to the hospital for the night shift, she ran into Kristie’s personal doctor in the corridor, where both of them greeted each other.
Kristie’s doctor asked, “How did your examination go? Who’s the pregnant lady staying with Ms. Winton?”
Chapter 490
“It’s the female vice CEO of Glory. She’s quite well-acquainted with Ms. Winton.” The gynecologist said with a frown, “I notice the position of the fetuses isn’t optimum, so there may be some risks.”
“How many fetuses are there?”
“It’s a triplet,” the gynecologist reported the test results to the doctor.
After hearing that, the doctor thought for a few moments before uttering, “If the woman’s uterus is too small and the fetuses don’t have room to move around, fetal malposition may indeed happen. Still, as long as a nuchal cord doesn’t happen, there shouldn’t be any problem.”
“But…” The gynecologist’s brows remained tightly knitted as she hesitated to speak.
When she examined Rayna’s condition earlier, she realized the babies’ movements were infrequent. Not to mention, Rayna was carrying a triplet, so she reckoned something must be off. Nevertheless, that condition might also be due to Rayna overtiring herself lately.
Ignorant to the gynecologist’s dithering, the doctor continued, “When she comes for her next pregnancy checkup, the doctor will tell her how to adjust the position of her fetuses. This shouldn’t be a significant issue, so I’ll take my leave.”
The gynecologist nodded. “See you.”
She decided not to dwell further on that matter. That’s right. Fetal malposition is not a major problem. Besides, that lady is no longer related to Mr. Faymon. It is quite troublesome if I invite these unnecessary problems onto myself for being a busybody.
With Kristie and Carl monitoring her, Rayna couldn’t leave even if she wanted to, so she had no choice but to remain there.
She felt much better after the slumber.
After having their breakfast, Rayna and Kristie went to the ward. Rayna wanted to go to the hospital alone, but Kristie wished to tag along.
Rayna asked the latter to stay in the condominium, but right after Rayna went to the garage and sat in the driver’s seat, she heard the car door being opened and closed as another person got into the car.
Rayna turned to look behind her and noticed Kristie sitting in the backseat.
She was rendered speechless.
“Rayna, I’m coming because I’m worried about you.” Kristie stuck out her tongue and urged, “Hurry up and start the car. Otherwise, that brat will be here soon.”
Rayna didn’t think it was appropriate to chase Kristie out of the vehicle, so she had no choice but to start the car. “Remember to put on a cap and a mask when you get out of the car later.”
Kristie muttered, “I got it! It’s been so long since I last participated in a film. My fans probably think I’ve been blacklisted. I don’t think anyone will recognize me even if I don’t wear a cap.”
“If you don’t listen to me, I’m not letting you tag along.”
Kriste immediately shut her mouth.
Upon arriving at the hospital ward, Rayna asked for directions and soon found the room Jessica had told her about.
The nurse had just finished making their usual rounds. When she saw Rayna, she asked, “Are you the patient’s kin?”
“Yes.” Rayna nodded. “Is he all right?”
“His condition is stable, but he’ll need to stay in the hospital for some time, so it’ll be best to find him a caretaker as soon as possible.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
After sending the nurse away, Rayna pushed open the door to the ward.
Inside the regular ward were four to five beds, but most were not occupied.
After stepping into the room, Rayna saw the middle-aged man on the bed near the window at first glance.
The middle-aged man’s body was wrapped in multiple layers of bandages. Even his face, the only part of him which was visible, was heavily bruised.
He seemed to have sustained some severe injuries.
Kristie, trailing behind Rayna, asked in an undertone, “Is this Jessica’s relative? He’s so badly wounded.”
Rayna grunted in response.
However, she had never met Jessica’s relative, so she didn’t know who that man was.
The middle-aged man on the bed slowly opened his eyes when he heard footsteps. He saw Rayna and Kristie from the corner of his eyes. “Who are you?”
“Mr. Marsh, I’m Jessica’s friend.” Rayna moved closer. “Do you want me to help you summon the nurse?”
The middle-aged man moved his lips.
Rayna couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. She bent down and leaned closer before she heard him ask, “Where is Jessica?”
The sight of him speaking with that much difficulty tugged at Rayna’s heartstrings. She replied gently, “She’s been taking care of you all this while but had worn herself out, so she’s resting at home now.”
Hearing that, the middle-aged man relaxed his furrowed brows.
“I’m glad she’s fine. That’s great.” His voice was hoarse. “I told her not to provoke those people and not to anger the Lopez family, but she won’t heed my advice. Alas, I’m glad she’s all right.”
“Are you Jessica’s uncle, Oliver?” Rayna figured out that man’s identity. “Didn’t she arrange for you to go on a holiday abroad?”
Oliver explained, “My wife and I went on vacation for two days, but we returned because we were worried about her. Unexpectedly, a group of people barged into our house as soon as we reached home.”
Oliver glanced at the empty bed beside him before asking Rayna anxiously, “Where’s my wife?”
Rayna hurriedly comforted him, “Don’t worry. She’s staying in a different ward. Can you tell me who are the people who barged into your home?”
“They were sent there by the Lopez family.” Oliver couldn’t help but shudder as he was reminded of the night’s incident. “They kicked open the door and questioned me about Jessica’s whereabouts. Then, they hit my wife and me and even took away my phone. I managed to snatch my phone back and told
them to leave. Otherwise, I’ll call the police. However, they asked me to call the police and report to the authority that Jessica had killed someone. In that way, the police can arrest Jessica too.”
“Which Lopez family are you referring to? Wyatt Lopez?”
Oliver nodded with difficulty and uttered in a husky voice, “When they left, someone made a phone call and addressed the other person on the phone as Mr. Lopez. He asked the latter if they should stay at our place to keep watch since they couldn’t locate Jessica.”
Rayna recalled how Wyatt had barged into his office and smacked her the other day.
Judging by his violent nature, he might’ve been the one to target Jessica’s uncle and his family when he failed to locate Jessica. But…
Taking in Oliver’s appearance, Rayna gritted her teeth hatefully. “Is he still a man? How can he be so ruthless!”
Kristie couldn’t help but chime in, “Wyatt may be bad-tempered, but I don’t think he will do something like this. Perhaps there is a misunderstanding?”
Rayna sneered. “Misunderstanding? Do you know he slapped me when he lost it as I didn’t comply with his demand when he went to my office the other day to ask about Jessie’s whereabouts?”
“Seriously?” Kristie was dumbfounded.
Mustering all his strength, Oliver grasped Rayna’s hand. “Jessica had suffered enough. Please take good care of her.”
Rayna nodded. “I will. She’s my best friend.”
At that moment, the door to the ward was pushed open. A nurse dashed into the room while wearing a solemn expression.
Before Rayna could ask the nurse what was going on, the latter approached Oliver, who was lying on the bed and said, “Mr. Oliver Marsh, your wife, Danielle Yarbrough, was involved in a car crash on the way to the hospital. We failed to save her because she lost too much blood.”
Oliver widened his eyes as he struggled to breathe. “What? My wife, my wife…”
“She’s joking. Mrs. Marsh is in the ward next door. Don’t worry, Mr. Marsh,” Rayna hurriedly said.
She forcefully dragged the nurse out of the ward with a dark look on her face.
The nurse knitted her brows and said, “Hey! Are you the patient’s family? His wife is not in the ward next door. She was caught up in a car accident when she was rushed to the hospital. I personally sent her into the operating room—”
“Shut up!” Rayna chided while shoving the nurse out of the room and shutting the door behind her.
Then, she continued to scold her, “Do you know what’s your profession? How can you announce such a piece of sad news in front of the patient? How are you sure the person was his wife?”
“She doesn’t have any family members here. Do you suppose the hospital will foot her bill if I don’t tell him?” The nurse was even more temperamental than Rayna. “Are you his kin? You should go and claim her body!”
Rayna sputtered with rage. “You—”
The door to the ward was pushed open in a haste and Kristie scrambled out. “Rayna, t-that mister…”