Chapter 30 The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend
Rachel's expression froze for a moment. Then she waved her hand quickly, "No worries, Mom. I can go up by myself. You don't need to bother."
Heather grabbed her hand and started walking toward the stairs. "What bother? Don't be so formal with me."
They hadn't taken many steps when Floyd entered and nodded, "Ms. Wilson, Mrs. Martinez asked you to come over. She has something to discuss with you."
Heather paused. "She's looking for me?"
This was quite unusual.
Everyone knew Maeve didn't like her and had avoided contact as much as possible over the years. For her to actively call Heather over today was rare indeed.
Heather's smile softened, "Did Maeve mention what it's about?"
Floyd shook his head, "Mrs. Martinez didn't say, just asked you to hurry over."
Heather frowned, clearly reluctant to go, "Go back and ask Maeve what it's about, then come back and tell me."
She then tried to continue pulling Rachel upstairs.
"Ms. Wilson, please don't make it difficult for me. I'm just passing along Mrs. Martinez's message," Floyd called out.
Heather stopped again and turned to look at Floyd.
Rachel sensed Heather might need a reason to preserve her dignity and persuaded, "Mom, you should go. Maybe Mrs. Martinez has something urgent to discuss with you. I'll go up and change by myself."
"Alright, I'll go over. You can change in your room with Steven. The clothes you brought back last time are there, and I've had them washed."
"Okay."
Watching Heather leave, Rachel checked the time and quickly headed up to the third floor.
The third floor housed Gavin and Heather's bedroom and study. Rachel and Steven stayed on the third floor when they visited.
So, unless Heather gave specific instructions, the servants wouldn't come up to this floor.
The study door wasn't locked. Rachel turned the doorknob and easily entered.
It was her first time in Heather's study. Though it was a small study, it was quite spacious, and the decor matched Heather's elegant temperament.
Rachel wasn't in the mood to appreciate these details. She felt nervous but steady, heading straight for the password-protected cabinet mentioned in the text message. She put on the disposable gloves she'd prepared and entered the code 089361.
The cabinet made a soft unlocking sound, and the door opened.
Rachel was taken aback. The first and second shelves held large jewelry boxes, the third contained some cash and small gold bars, and the bottom shelf had several documents.
She picked up a document labeled "Radiant Beauty Spa Accounts."
As she flipped through, it was clear the records were detailed, listing the year, month, client names, transaction frequency, and amounts.
The client names matched the list from the text message.
The highest amounts were from Seraphina and Violette. Seraphina had a regular boy toy, while Violette indulged more freely, hiring different toys every few days.
She was generous, often leaving substantial tips.
Rachel took photos of the documents with her phone. The third account book was at the bottom. She opened it to find the development plan for Radiant Beauty Spa's illegal operations but hadn't started reading when her phone buzzed.
It was a text message.
[Get out! Heather's coming back and heading your way!]
Rachel's heart raced. She quickly snapped more photos, put everything back in place, closed the cabinet, reset the code, and quietly left the study, returning to her room with Steven.
She grabbed an outfit from the closet, changed quickly, and touched up her makeup in the mirror.
About a minute later, there was a knock on the door, and Heather's voice called from outside, "Rachel, are you done changing?"
Rachel took a deep breath in front of the mirror.
She felt her composure was nowhere near Heather's or Steven's. They acted so naturally and effortlessly.
Unlike her, always nervous, like now, her hands were trembling.
After calming her racing heart and shaky hands, she walked over, opened the door, and smiled, "All done."
Heather noticed the lipstick in her hand, "Touching up your makeup?"
"Already finished." Rachel capped the lipstick and asked, "What did Mrs. Martinez want?"
As soon as she spoke, she noticed the red mark on Heather's cheek. Shocked, she reached out, "Mom, what happened to your face? Did Mrs. Martinez hit you?"
Heather sighed, "She misunderstood me. David made a mistake and got scolded by his dad in the office today. He was told to go home and reflect, with no word on when he can return to the company."
Maeve thought Heather had been snitching to Gavin.
Maeve was straightforward and disliked scheming. Knowing Heather's nature, she didn't hesitate and slapped her as soon as Heather arrived.
David's mistake was significant but not catastrophic, just a lapse in judgment. Gavin was angry but didn't intend to humiliate David in front of the company's staff.
Heather claimed to be wronged, but she wasn't innocent.
She dreamed of ousting David from his position as CEO of the Martinez Group.
Maeve despised Heather but knew Gavin wasn't any better.
If Gavin wasn't interested, Heather standing naked before him wouldn't matter.
Men were unreliable.
Maeve tolerated Heather in the Martinez family because she controlled the family's finances, while her two sons held the company's power.
Heather's attempt to undermine David threatened Maeve's interests.
That slap was mild.
Maeve had pointed at Heather's face and cursed, "Even if David is demoted, there's still Peter. Your son won't get the position! Stop using these dirty tricks. I've ignored you all these years not because I'm afraid of you, but to avoid dirtying my hands and eyes!"
Rachel could imagine the scene.
Maeve was furious, while Heather looked pitiful and wronged.
This wasn't the first time.
Rachel had been fooled by Heather's kindness and gentle demeanor.
Her deep bond with Steven had made her see Heather in a positive light.
But now, she could understand Maeve's anger and helplessness against Heather's deceit.
Heather was always good at manipulating people.
Everyone who met her praised her elegance and grace.
Even knowing she was a homewrecker, most people were willing to associate with her, which was the main reason Radiant Beauty Spa could thrive.
Rachel felt a mix of anger and sympathy, "We need to get an ice pack on it right away, or it'll swell up badly. Mrs. Martinez really went too far. Even if it was a misunderstanding, she shouldn't have hit you."
Heather sighed again, "Forget it. David got scolded, so Maeve, as his mother, must be feeling awful and needed to take it out on me."
Heather wiped her eyes gently, her voice soft, "Maeve has never liked me."
Rachel's eyes filled with even more sympathy, "Mom, you've been wronged."
"Why are we talking about this? Come on, the kitchen made some new desserts. See if you like them, and if you do, take some home to share with Steven."
"Mom, Steven's on a business trip to Azure City."
"Azure City?" Heather frowned, "Why is he there? The project in Azure City was completed in September, wasn't it?"
"Was it?" Rachel shook her head, "I don't really know much about his work, so I didn't ask."
"I haven't asked much either. Steven only discusses things with me when he's unsure. If he went, he must have his reasons."
"Yes."
Rachel stayed for dinner at The Martinez Manor before heading home.
As she left the side building, she ran into Alice.
Alice had inherited Maeve's pride, and she was quite pretty and cute, especially with her almond-shaped eyes that sparkled with life.
Because she didn't like Heather and Steven, Alice didn't like Rachel either.
Now, Alice huffed, rolling her eyes as she prepared to walk past Rachel.
Rachel initiated the conversation, "Going out this late?"
"What's it to you?" Alice frowned, glaring at her before turning to leave.
"Are you going to Autumn's art exhibition on the 6th?"
Alice stopped in her tracks.
She studied art and admired Autumn's free-spirited style. She had attended Autumn's exhibitions abroad, but this would be the first solo exhibition in the country, hosted at Rachel's Stargaze Gallery, so she hadn't even tried to get a ticket.
"I'm not going!" she said stubbornly.
Rachel smiled, not responding, and walked with her to the parking lot. As Alice opened her car door and prepared to get in, Rachel called out, "Alice."
"What now?" Alice asked impatiently.
"Could you do me a favor?"
Alice looked surprised, then wary, "What favor?"
Rachel handed her a business card, "If you don't trust me, you can give this card to your mother and have her call me."
Alice looked at the card in her hand, "What do you want?"
"I have something I'd like to collaborate on with her, but it can't be known by the lady of the side building."
'The enemy of my enemy is my friend,' Rachel thought. There must be others who want to bring down Heather besides her.
Maeve, direct and proud, was the obvious choice.
Plus, Maeve was at The Martinez Manor. Today, Maeve had coincidentally called Heather over, but Rachel hadn't been able to photograph the entire account book and planning document.
If she couldn't take them, she could only photograph them as evidence.
If someone cooperated with her, it wouldn't be so risky.
Moreover, if things went south, Maeve could be her witness.
Alice noted Rachel's peculiar reference to Heather.
"What is it about?" Alice asked suspiciously.
Rachel smiled warmly, "I can't tell you the details, but it will definitely benefit Mrs. Martinez. Just make sure to pass it on. If you want to see the exhibition on the 6th, you can call this number. See you later."
She turned and got into her car.
Back home, she didn't bother with a shower, immediately opening the photos she had taken today to review them one by one.
All the photos were clear, but incomplete.
The planning document had at least ten to twenty pages, but she had only photographed six or seven.
It detailed the industry description, goals, how to develop clientele, recruit talent, service analysis, and customer analysis, with key points marked in red by Heather.
The last photo mentioned one-on-one exclusive boy toys and gold diggers, followed by a target list.
But Rachel hadn't managed to photograph the list.
Radiant Beauty Spa catered to high society women.
Heather, already in this circle, knew the wealthy men well.
[Heather is inviting Seraphina to invest in the illegal business. They will discuss and sign the contract at Radiant Beauty Spa tomorrow at 10 a.m. The other two shareholders are Mrs. Reyes from the Reyes family and Mrs. Banks from the Banks family, both graduates of the gold digger training class. They plan to expand the illegal business next March.]
Rachel's heart raced.
She had wondered how the illegal business could grow so rapidly in less than a year with just Heather's efforts.
Could there be helpers?
But she was surprised that Heather's helpers were also graduates of the gold digger training class.
How many people were in that training class?
Rachel's mind was a mess, with too much to think about.
Just then, an email notification sounded on her phone.
She rubbed her temples and opened the email. It was from the private investigator, containing nearly twenty photos and three videos.
She opened them one by one, recognizing the people in them.
Steven and Nancy.
Today was the weekend, and the planning team didn't need to work overtime.
The two seemed to be at an aquarium, acting like carefree, worry-free lovers.
The three videos showed them kissing in the car, Nancy jumping onto Steven's back, shouting "Charge!" while Steven ran with her on his back.
The last video was at night, likely a fireworks show, with a shaky frame but close to the couple. Amid the noise, Nancy leaned close to Steven's ear and shouted, "Steven, thank you for making me so happy. I love you so much."
The fireworks bloomed in the sky, muffling her voice.
The camera steadied, showing Steven's face, his lips moving, but his words drowned out by the fireworks.
Rachel tried to match his lip movements several times but couldn't decipher his words.
But seeing Nancy's joyful expression, it was definitely something Rachel didn't want to hear.
Rachel saved all the photos and videos, then replied to the email: [Where did they go today?]
The private investigator quickly responded: [Azure City.]
Rachel's pupils contracted. So he really did go to Azure City.
But it wasn't for business; he was off hooking up with Nancy.
She forced a smile.
How ridiculous.
She collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, tears blurring her vision.
She remembered her birthday wish this year was to go to the aquarium, but he had already taken Nancy there.