Chapter 18
After her discussion with her new client ended, Rain directly went to Brandon’s secret hideout for debriefing. A lot has happened, some of which might be important for the case.
“Is there any news about how I ended up getting married then?” she curiously asked as she waited for Brandon to finish preparing their dinner.
“Oh, I haven’t checked yet. My hands are full at the moment, so I instead gave Sanya the right person to coordinate this matter with,” Brandon shrugged in reply. “Do you want me to ask him p>
“No, it’s fine. I’ll let Sanya handle it,” she casually remarked. “I can always ask her about it later anyway. For now, we should focus on the case we have right now since I want to quickly wrap it up p>
With that out of the way, she then told Brandon about how Alexander wanted to see her at around the same time tomorrow night.
“Hmm… Can’t you just tell him the truth? Can’t he be trusted?” Brandon suggestively asked. “If you want, I can deal with him myself and explain things in person. I think that’s the best way to solve this matter p>
There was a terse silence as Rain muttered, “But Alexander and I aren’t close enough for me to share private things like this with him. Also, it wouldn’t be good to risk telling him about this kind of operation, Brandon. Like I told you, we’re not that close p>
Brandon snorted, “And yet you trusted him enough to let yourself remain married to him? I heard from Sanya that you’re trying to convince him to keep this marriage p>
“Well, that’s different since both of us will benefit from it,” she quickly reasoned. “Besides, we agreed not to meddle in each other’s affairs p>
“Right… Is that why he’s meddling with your affairs right now?” Brandon countered.
“It’s because he’s curious if I’m Rain Clayton or not,” Rain pointed out.
“Precisely. So do something to stop him from being curious. Either you tell him the truth, or prove to him that you’re Diana Jones,” Brandon firmly stated. “If you keep dodging the same places and schedules he wants, that only proves that you’re the same person p>
Rain simply shrugged. She had no idea what she should do, but she frankly didn’t care too much at the moment.
“So what do you plan to do?” Brandon asked.
However, that was something Rain needed. She had to have a plan that would address Alexander’s curiosity without compromising the operation or revealing her true identity prematurely.
Taking a deep breath, she let out a heavy sigh. “I guess I have no choice but to deal with Alexander tomorrow night. Don’t worry, I won’t compromise the operation,” she reassured Brandon.
At Clayton Ancestral Mansion
“Are you just going to let Rain off like that, Tim?!” Sylvia fumed during dinner. “How dare that woman make us look like a joke p>
“Rain is already married. You always said she was a sore in your eyes, but now that she’s gone, you keep bringing her up,” Melanie nonchalantly commented, barely looking up from her plate.
Sylvia’s face reddened with anger as she hissed, “You! This is all your fault! She grew bold because you always took her side! And now what? She’s getting arrogant just because she’s a lawyer working at Smith Law Firm p>
Melanie sighed deeply, her voice calm but firm. “Rain worked hard to get where she is despite all of you trying to pull her down,” she defended. “She became a lawyer through her own efforts and expenses. She didn’t grow bold, Sylvia—she just finally stood up against your mistreatment p>
“You two, enough!” Tim barked out, his voice sharp.
Melanie immediately fell silent, and a tense silence settled over the dining room.
“I must say, though,” Dina began with a sly smirk, breaking the silence. “I’m surprised that Rain seems to have no interest in Aunt Melanie anymore. I wonder who that man is that she married—someone she can’t even get a divorce from just to see you, Aunty p>
Melanie’s face darkened as she turned to her older brother. “Aren’t you tired of this? Stop using me to force Rain into submission—she won’t bend now, I promise you.” she scoffed. “I told her not to take this from you, and I will never forgive her if she suffers because of me!” She then abruptly stood up, her anger palpable. “This family is the worst, so it’s no surprise Rain left p>
Without warning, Melanie stormed out. Another brief silence settled, everyone seemingly waiting for someone to finally say something.
“What’s with Aunt Melanie tonight?” Dina chuckled, breaking through the silence. “Is she on her period, or is she going through menopause p>
“Dina, that’s enough,” Tim said firmly. “Now that Rain is married, make sure you get a hold of Paul and have him marry you instead p>
Dina’s face lit up with a wide grin. “Don’t worry, Dad. Paul and I are on good terms. This week won’t end without him proposing to me p>
“Are you really letting Rain go that easily? By the looks of it, she no longer cares about your threats. She even moved out to ensure she’s out of your grasp,” Sylvia pointed out, her tone laced with frustration. “And let’s not forget, Mayor Richard is still upset and refuses to see me. This could create serious issues for our new facilities in the city p>
Tim’s face hardened at Sylvia’s words. Sensing his silence, she continued, “Michael fancies Rain, and he even specifically asks for her whenever he sees me. He doesn’t care if she’s divorced—as long as he gets to make her his wife, the Astors will fully support us. We need to act fast p>
Tim remained silent, prompting Sylvia to further suggest, “Maybe it’s time to try a different approach p>
Tim raised a brow. “What do you mean p>
“Pretend to accept her marriage. Let’s meet her husband and play nice for a while, build up some trust. Then, we can offer him money to sign the divorce papers,” Sylvia explained, her eyes gleaming with a calculating edge. “Rain has always craved your approval. She might just fall for it p>
Dina snorted, cutting in. “Why bother with all that? Just let Michael have his way with Rain. The man’s a pervert with specific tastes. We could just drug her and let him take care of the rest p>
Sylvia’s eyes narrowed at Dina’s suggestion, and she was about to retort when Tim raised a hand, silencing them both. His expression remained unreadable as he mulled over their twisted ideas.