Looking at this man with a mature appearance, but behaving like a green young boy, Rachel couldn't help giggling in her mind.
She didn't know why, but her lightheartedness at the moment didn't stop there and suddenly she burst out laughing. Her friendly laughter quickly dissipated the embarrassment gnawing between them.
"Thank you for saying that. I'm glad. Nice to meet you, too," Rachel responded, slightly lowering her head. She felt a bit shy as she unconsciously combed her beautiful hair with her hands.
Bernard's heart did a quick double flip as he continued admiring her enticing beauty.
He mentally admonished himself, realizing that he was almost caught gazing steadily at her. Before everything turned awkward again, they both decided to order coffee and snacks and started their conversation in a business-like manner.
"The truth is, Holley got involved in this homicide case of Lance, the CEO of Silver Corporation. But she was wronged indeed."
Rachel cut to the chase. "We are suspecting that Lance's wife is the real murderer and the mastermind."
She paused for a moment gathering all her thoughts, then she continued, "But we haven't collected any conclusive evidence yet. So I'd like to ask you to do us a favor to investigate Lance's wife."
Rachel felt a little nervous. She could tell Bernard was shocked by his facial expressions. She was totally apprehensive whether he would turn down this challenging and complicated mission or not.
"Of course, if you find out the truth, the payment will be a generous one. I can pay you the deposit first."
"The payment doesn't matter. I would like to do that for you, but is there any aspect that needs extra attention? Any time required for the investigation?" he replied calmly.
"As soon as possible. Never leave any chance for her to notice what we are doing," Rachel reminded him.
Later on, Rachel filled him in some useful information about Miranda. After reaching a consensus over the formal issue, they both gradually felt relaxed.
Rachel was conscious of the fact that Bernard couldn't help staring at her, but once they made eye contact, his eyes would dodge subconsciously.
She found his reaction kind of cute, and that triggered her interest a lot. Even though she knew as crystal clear that Bernard was into her, she just pretended to be not aware at all.
This was one of those times that a sense of frustration came to her like an invited guest. Majority of males like Bernard had a crush on her, which meant she still had some charisma that she could be proud of. However, it was not the case with Charles because it never worked at all to make him fall in love with her again.
Maybe if Sheryl was not around, only then could Charles realize what a good girl she was. Such an unwanted thought was like lightning that flashed by in her mind. But before it could affect her in any way, she had already chased it away. Turning back her attention to Bernard, she gave him a small smile and bid him farewell after concluding their meeting.
While waiting for the updates from Bernard, Rachel also hired another private detective to work on tracking Miranda at the same time.
To her surprise, she got the good news from Bernard first.
Through some insiders from Silver Corporation, Bernard had confirmed that Miranda did come to Lance that day, and it was indeed her that faked the CCTV video footage submitted to the police in their initial investigation.
Although it was not one hundred percent sure that Miranda was the murderer, she was now under huge suspicion based on the present evidence. Rachel was really excited about this breakthrough during the process of investigation.
She had predicted that this was only the tip of the iceberg. More clues would soon appear as long as the investigation was carried on. She believed that the truth must be revealed someday.
With newfound determination, she urged Bernard to keep on digging deeper and to ensure to keep her posted with new development as soon as possible.
Rachel was very vocal about her close rapport with Holley. And one of the reasons why she hoped Bernard to find out the truth soon was that she wanted not to arouse resentment from Holley.
The urgency Bernard felt in Rachel to know about the truth, immensely put him under pressure. But at the same time, a strong sense of responsibility arose spontaneously from the bottom of his heart.
"All right, I will keep you posted as soon as there is progress or new evidence," Bernard promised her. After hanging up, he resumed working again.
Disguising himself as a newbie employee at Silver Corporation, he pretended to pass by the reception desk.
"Hey, girl. Your earrings are so cute!" Bernard looked into Lena's eyes earnestly and exuded wholehearted appreciation.
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