“Where do we go from here?” Rachel asked Sophia over the phone. “Time has been going and it just feels like we’re doing nothing much to pursue this case. Besides, George is already aware of everything”
“Are you serious? When did he find out?” Sophia asked
“I think it was yesterday”
“What did he say? What did he do?”
“He confronted me about it and yes, we argued a bit because I didn’t reveal it to him on time. But after that, he promised to help me get justice for my father.”
“Hmm…can you trust him on that? Getting justice for your father means he has to go against his father, his family. All of this might even affect the company sales when it enters the news. I’m not really sure if he would want to ruin everything his family has worked for just to help you, but let’s see…”
“You just said my mind. I was having exactly the same thoughts. Anyway, that aside, we need to hurry up with this. Especially now that George knows, he might end up confronting his father about this. And the moment it becomes very clear to Morris that we know about his crimes, won’t he come after us?”
As Rachel talked on the phone, she was unaware that the door to her bedroom was slightly open…
Patricia had come over to see her and apologize for their previous encounter and how she treated her. Pausing in front of the slightly open door at the mention of ‘Morris’, she stood quietly and listened to Rachel’s side of the phone call as she talked on.
“There’s a delay? What do you mean?” Rachel asked Sophia.
“The police officials I reported to have been lagging behind so much with the case. It’s almost as if they are doing it on purpose. From my experience, when police officials start acting this way, there’s a high chance that someone has bribed them to overlook the case and waste our time…”
Rachel’s breath hitched “Are you saying there’s a probability that Morris has bribed them not to act on a reported crime?”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure but I really think so”
“Isn’t there another police station you can report to in this area?” Rachel asked, she could feel her fear and anxiety level rising.
“In this area, this is the only renowned station. Even if we find another one somewhere else, he can always bribe his way again”
Her palms were sweaty and her stomach was queasy from her frustration with how slow this whole thing was going. With the way things were going, with how slow they were moving, Morris was going to toss them aside without even trying too hard.
He had the power, the money, the influence. Her and Sophia together couldn’t compare at all. They needed an extra support, someone with equal power, money and influence as Morris. Someone who would help them push through with the case no matter how much money Morris tried to bribe people with.
“But we can’t just sit back and let him win after how far we have come. Am I supposed to watch my father rot in jail for the remaining four years? Sophia, we need to do something”
“If I could find extra evidence, it would be easier. One crime might be overlooked but multiple crimes won’t easily be overlooked. I hope you understand what I’m trying to say?”
Rachel sighed. She suddenly felt weaker than when she answered the phone call.
“I understand.”
“Rachel, I don’t want you to feel defeated. If we can find something more to hold Morris down, I’ll head over to the headquarters of the police station where I work and report the case. I am sure it will go through this time.”
Patricia stood by the open door watching silently. She could only hear Rachel’s side of the phone call, but judging by her expression, she could tell that things were not turning out the way Rachel wanted.
Tired of hiding behind the door, she pushed it open and walked in. She paused at the shock on Rachel’s face when she caught sight of her.
“Oh my goodness…” Rachel exclaimed.
“Is something wrong? What is it?” Sophia asked through the phone.
“Uhm, Sophia, something came up. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” Rachel hung up and tossed her phone on the bed before turning her attention back to the woman who stood in front of her.
She could still remember their last encounter. It was still fresh in her memory. They had not crossed paths since then so seeing Mrs Patricia standing in front of her made her nervous.
What was it this time? What did she do wrong this time? Couldn’t she have a moment of peace in this villa? At least, for a long period?
“Good evening, Mrs Patricia…” Rachel whispered, fixing her gaze on the marbled floor. “… George is not back yet. I’ll let him know you came wh-”
“You are the one I came to see.”
Rachel lifted her eyes and glanced at her mother-in-law. “What could be the problem this time?”
Patricia smiled sadly. “I came to apologize…”
Rachel raised an eyebrow, not believing what she just heard. Was she joking?
“… about how I spoke to you the last time. I was too impulsive and I didn’t think things through properly. That was very wrong on my side. Please don’t take it to heart”
Rachel blinked. She stared for a moment, still quiet like she had gone dumb.
“Uhm, I didn’t expect that. It’s alright, really. Apology accepted.” Rachel smiled.
Patricia’s gaze moved to Rachel’s phone on the bed and back to Rachel. “I didn’t mean to but I overheard your phone conversation”
Rachel gasped in shock. That means she overhead her plotting against her husband, Morris….
Rachel felt the blood leave her face. She remembered Mr Anderson mentioning how Patricia was ready to do anything for Morris Scott….
Including defending him by all means. It seems she was really done for this time around.
“Ah, I see” Rachel felt a new layer of sweat form on her forehead.
Patricia noticed she looked uncomfortable and it occurred to her that Rachel had misinterpreted her statement. “Calm down. I hold nothing against you. I actually came here to talk about some things with you”
Rachel rubbed her sweaty palms against the sides of her dress. “Some things like what?”
“I am finally aware of everything that has been going on in this villa and I want to talk about all of it with you”
Rachel’s breath hitched “You are aware of everything? Like everything?”
Patricia nodded “Yes. Everything regarding my husband, your father’s jail term and even more than that. I discovered it a few weeks back and had to take some time to process everything. I am finally ready to talk about it”
Rachel pointed at a chair nearby. “Please have a seat”
This was unreal. What was she about to say? Did it make sense to trust that she would not take this out of context later on? Besides, since she knew the truth all this time, why didn’t she do anything about it? Was she going to choose her husband despite everything he had done?
Patricia sat down and looked at Rachel. “You are probably wondering if you can trust me. I know everyone talks about how I am so in love with Morris, how I would do anything for him. I understand you if you think that way. Maybe you’re wondering if I am going to turn against you after…
…You don’t have to worry about that. I am not the same person I was two months ago. Sit down, let’s talk. I have a lot to say.”
Rachel settled on a chair, not sure what to expect. Patricia told her everything.
From when everything dawned on her and she realized what was really going on to how she instructed her nanny to record Morris and Judith’s conversations. She told her how she discovered the truth behind her father’s case.
Rachel was shocked by the words coming out of Patricia’s lips. She knew about Morris trying to kidnap Sophia, even his plan to take over the company from George and hand it over to Judith and James Scott.
Never in her life would she have imagined a day like this would come, never in her life would she have imagined that Patricia would turn against Morris.
“But most importantly…” Patricia muttered, her eyes getting teary. “… I discovered something unbelievable recently. I am still in shock, I still can’t believe it.”
“What is it? Are you alright?” Rachel asked, concerned by the sudden change in her emotion. Was there something else that had happened? She wasn’t sure. She grabbed a few rolls of tissue and gave it to Patricia.
Patricia wiped the tears away and breathed in. “The person behind the fire accident that George experienced over five years ago was Judith.”
“What??!” Rachel held her breath. She was sure her scream went through the roof. “Are you sure about this? How did you confirm this?”
Patricia smiled. “It’s unbelievable, right? I heard it myself from the lips of Judith and Morris. They didn’t know I was listening to their conversation. I still can’t believe it but it’s the truth”
“What did you just say?!!”
Patricia and Rachel jumped at the sound of George’s voice.
“George..” Rachel whispered. She didn’t even hear any sound when he opened the door.
Everyone seemed to be catching her unawares today.
George asked again, his voice shaky. “What did I just hear you say? Tell me everything!”