Chapter 29 Power Outage
Rachel gave Carol a few more instructions about the remaining tasks, then grabbed her bag and prepared to leave. As she reached the elevator, she ran into Nancy, who was juggling a pile of documents.
Nancy looked surprised to see Rachel with her bag. "Rachel, heading out already?"
"Yeah, gotta go to The Martinez Manor this afternoon."
"What for?"
"My mother-in-law wants me to join her for some tea and a chat."
"Must be nice being the director here. You can come and go whenever you want," Nancy teased with a grin. "I'm so jealous."
Rachel chuckled, "Catch you later."
"Drive safe."
"Will do."
Nancy watched Rachel step into the elevator with a smile, but as soon as the doors closed, her smile faded. She glanced at the documents in her hands with frustration and impatience.
Rachel walked to the parking garage in the basement. Her phone buzzed with a new text message: [The Martinez Manor will experience a power outage at 3:19 PM for fifteen minutes and twenty-five seconds.]
That means the hallway cameras will be offline during those fifteen minutes.
It was now 2:08 PM, and driving from Stargaze Gallery to The Martinez Manor would take about half an hour.
She could make it.
When Rachel's car arrived at The Martinez Manor, the butler, Floyd, greeted her with a nod. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Martinez."
"Afternoon, Floyd," Rachel replied. "Where's my mom?"
"Ms. Wilson is waiting for you in the side wing."
Rachel nodded and headed straight to the side wing with her bag.
In the flower room, Heather had brewed two pots of high-quality coffee and put out six amazing desserts on the table. She was browsing new arrivals from a brand store on her tablet.
"Mom."
"Rachel, you're here." Heather smiled and waved her over. "Come help me decide. What do you think of this coat? Does it suit me?"
Rachel looked at the beige cashmere coat with detachable pure fox fur sleeves.
Its price was $136,000.
Ever since Radiant Beauty Spa was investigated and shut down, Heather's mood hadn't been affected. She continued to enjoy her life as usual.
She wasn't worried about the $700,000 in taxes; after all, she could easily make it back.
Rachel thought for a moment. "This coat would go perfectly with the new dress you got recently."
Heather had once been known as the 'Dress Beauty' because of her love for wearing dresses. Gavin had even hired a top dress designer just for her.
"That's what I thought too. I'll buy it." Heather added it to her cart and pointed to the chair beside her. "Don't just stand there. Sit down. I saw a sweater earlier. Do you like it? If you do, I'll order it too."
It was a cardigan, simple gray, priced at $30,000.
Rachel didn't hesitate and raised her eyebrows. "If you're buying it for me, I definitely like it."
"Alright, alright. I'll get it for you!"
Heather added the cardigan to her cart and then said, "I'll also get you a pair of casual pants for spring."
After completing the purchase, she put down the tablet and asked, "How's the preparation for Stargaze Gallery's exhibit on the 6th going? Everything smooth?"
"Yeah, everything's going well."
"Good to hear." Heather nodded. "What kind of coffee would you like?"
"Mom, your Blue Mountain coffee is always the best."
"You have good taste." Heather called the servant to brew a pot of coffee.
Rachel had just picked up a piece of cake when Heather suddenly asked, "By the way, Rachel, do you know Benjamin?"
Rachel paused.
Finally, they were getting to the real reason Heather had called her over.
Rachel knew Heather wouldn't ask her to come for no reason.
Rachel turned to her with a puzzled expression. "I know him, kind of. We've had dinner together."
"How did you meet him?"
"It was a coincidence. Last month, I accidentally rear-ended his car. He didn't take any money from me, so I offered to buy him dinner. I didn't know who he was at the time; I found out later."
Heather's eyes gleamed as she scrutinized Rachel, trying to discern the truth in her words.
Rachel let her look. The story was a fabrication, but since Heather was still probing, it meant she hadn't discovered anything substantial yet. Otherwise, she wouldn't need to test her like this.
"Was it serious? Was anyone hurt?" Heather asked with concern. "Why didn't you mention such a big incident?"
"It wasn't serious, just his car light got damaged. I felt bad and didn't want to owe him, so I invited him to dinner."
"Good to hear no one was hurt. It was right to treat him to dinner after that." Heather continued, "Did you know Benjamin was the one who reported Radiant Beauty Spa's tax issues?"
"What?"
Rachel's shock wasn't feigned. She was genuinely surprised.
How did it end up being Benjamin?
Shouldn't it have been her?
She recalled Benjamin mentioning he had done something that might cause misunderstandings.
Was this what he meant?
Rachel asked, confused, "Why would he report us? Does he have a grudge against Radiant Beauty Spa? What benefit does he get from this?"
Heather had been observing Rachel's expressions and could tell she was genuinely unaware.
Heather relaxed a bit and sneered, "He doesn't have a grudge against Radiant Beauty Spa, but Gemstone Beauty Parlor does. The owner of Gemstone Beauty Parlor is Benjamin's aunt, and he's their legal advisor."
Rachel hadn't known this. She only knew Gemstone Beauty Parlor had been in Horizon Plaza for seven years and had always done well. But when Radiant Beauty Spa opened, it took away a lot of Gemstone Beauty Parlor's business.
The two salons had a competitive relationship and naturally couldn't get along.
Since Radiant Beauty Spa opened, there had been numerous disputes, and Gemstone Beauty Parlor's owner, like Maeve, disapproved of Heather's ways.
"So that's it. With Radiant Beauty Spa shut down, Gemstone Beauty Parlor does benefit." Rachel pretended to be indignant. "That's so underhanded."
Heather chuckled, "You're still young and haven't experienced much. This is just the beginning. It's my fault for trusting the wrong people and giving them leverage."
As they spoke, the lights suddenly went out.
It was cloudy today, and the room wasn't as bright as a floor-to-ceiling window room would be, so they usually kept the lights on during the day.
Rachel glanced at her phone.
3:19 PM.
The power outage was real.
Heather called the servant, "What's going on?"
"Ms. Wilson, the power's out."
Just then, Rachel deliberately knocked over her tea cup. She exclaimed and quickly stood up, catching the cup before it hit the ground.
"Are you okay, Rachel?" Heather hurriedly called for a towel and scolded, "You really are clumsy. If the cup is broken, it's broken. Luckily, the coffee wasn't too hot. Do you still want your hand?"
Rachel smiled, "I'm fine. I know you love this tea set. It would be a shame if I broke it."
"Oh, you."
Heather sighed and urged, "Come on, I'll help you change your clothes upstairs."