Holley had to find out who started all those rumors to slander her.
She made up her mind to have it all thoroughly investigated without involving Black. If he was a part of the investigation, he would have the chance to find those horrible things she had done before. She couldn't let that happen.
So Holley secretly hired a group of private detectives to help her with this matter.
After letting the detectives know about the details, Holley gave them clear instructions. "I need you to find out who started the rumors. The sooner, the better. But please do it in secret. Don't let anybody else know what you are doing. It will also save you some trouble during the investigation. And you'll get paid once your job is done," she assured them. Holley put emphasis on the importance of secrecy, in case Black would know.
"No problem, Miss Ye. We'll get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Once we acquire some clues, I'll let you know immediately," one of them promised.
Holley was glad to know they were on the same page.
She supposed that the rumor starters wouldn't just leave things like this. They definitely had ulterior motives. Fortunately, Holley already had these detectives now. Once they found those evil people, they could let her know if they were really planning something.
After the long day, Holley went to a fancy restaurant to have dinner with Black.
For one thing, she wanted to thank him for his support and help during the whole time. Also, they hadn't had a romantic date for a couple of days, so she wanted to make up for it.
"Cheers!" they said in unison as they proposed a toast. Their glasses with red wine slightly collided, which added to the romantic atmosphere.
"Honey, thank you for all your help. I really appreciate it." Holley held her glass, intently watching Black with his gentle smile, which made the moment more lovely and sweet.
"Somebody is going to be drunk," Black smiled back as he made his little joke. Holley just finished sipping her wine and responded with a sweet smile. Suddenly, Black thought of something important. "Holley, when I asked my father for help that day, I told him you were my girlfriend," he started. Holley listened intently. "Last weekend you were ill, so I didn't mention it. Since everything is going well now, would you like to go back home with me to see my father?"
Black thought this was the perfect time to bring it up.
"Of course. I would love to meet your father. Anytime, when he is convenient," Holley answered without hesitation. Deep inside, she still wasn't ready for this. She didn't expect Black would bring it up today. She was a little scared of meeting Rex.
But she couldn't refuse him this time. Since Rex already knew about her, it was only a matter of time before they got formally introduced. Besides, no matter whether she went to see him or not, he would definitely inquire about her background anyway. In this case, she might as well go back home with Black. At least it would make her look polite.
The most important thing right now was that she should come up with some good excuses to make Black keep trusting her, even after Rex revealed her ugly past. She believed love could make people blind. As long as Black was still crazy about her, she could easily deceive him.
Holley was relieved after she thought this through. However, when she accidently looked up, a familiar face came into view. Holley's eyes grew wide as she saw Alan walking towards their direction.
As he got closer, Holley feared that he might reveal what she had done. It took her a lot of efforts to impress Black as a perfect lady. She couldn't possibly let Alan ruin all this.
Thinking about this for a while, Holley decided to say "hello" first. She planned to dominate the entire conversation to leave Alan with a few chances to talk.
So she faked a natural smile and said, "Hi, Mr. Zhao! What a surprise!"
Alan was startled by Holley's sudden greeting and stopped at the table.
It took a moment before Alan realized what happened. Holley's appearance only reminded him of how she tricked him a few days ago in the hotel. He still contained a grudge against her because of that.
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