Forced by fate – Destined to be his Wife

“Don’t tell her. Not yet. Let me speak to ZhengLi first and get him on board. She is probably already a mess and might march right back in there and make this worse and not let us take her to the hospital.” Rhea advised Linlin as they sped towards Leng group after ZhengLi called Linlin to collect TangShi from the street. He had told them she might be upset, and she had hurt herself so they should be quick.

“I want to strangle her for going there. I told her to wait it out, but TangShi can be surprisingly headstrong. I want to know exactly how she hurt herself and if I find out that YuZhi….” Linlin was simmering in temper. Not only because of her friend but that cold and distant bastard and his cryptic calls and texts which were always short and sweet about TangShi, and never once asked Linlin how she was. She was so over that asshole.

“He’s not like that. I’m sure whatever happened wasn’t deliberate. Let’s just find her.”

Linlin sighed heavily to calm her racing mind and pulse, scanning the walkways they zoomed past on route in hopes of spotting her.

“Hide that, I’ll tell her the results weren’t ready yet.” Linlin nodded at the white envelope Rhea was holding and she quickly slid it into her handbag. Something so important and yet it looked like nothing.

“I’ll take it with me. It shows the traces of GHB were pretty high, so she probably passed out fast and didn’t wake until morning with the worst hangover. It makes me sick to think what he might have done in those hours, and I think we should go to the police and report him for this.”

“No!! Can you imagine if this got out. TangShi even as the victim would be tarred. The questions about drinking with him, they wouldn’t care about the truth, and she would get the blame regardless. She’s an heiress and a Leng group daughter in law in the public eye. They would one hundred percent blame her. Not only that but being labelled as a victim of rape still carries a certain amount of shame even if some do believe her.” Linlin shook her head aggressively, having see similar stories erupt in recent years and running young girls lives.

“What should we do then.? Let him go? He drugged her and assaulted her.” Rhea’s anger rose and swirled, twisting her stomach in knots. Enraged on behalf of a girl whom she maybe had seen as an enemy but knew her character well. TangShi was one of the softest people she had ever met and sure she needed a few lessons in standing up for herself and growing her own self esteem but she was a good girl. A rare pure soul in this crappy city, especially for the spoiled rich social scene which Rhea had grown up in. TangShi was a rare find and she spent enough time with her to harbor some kinds of feelings in the depths.

“Wait… wahhh.” Linlin squealed scaring Rhea half to death before banging her steering wheel and pointing out with manic finger jabs through some roadside foliage, the figure walking along a path further back from the road. “It’s Tang, right? You see her… that’s her for sure. The hat is making it hard to….. nope that’s her, I know that figure. God damn her for turning her phone off.” Linlin spun her head around looking for a turn off or parking, but they were on a main straight to traffic lights with no possible way to get out. Frantic that they might lose her.

“The lights ahead are turning; I’ll jump out and get her. You find a way to pull over and call me to come to you.” Rhea was a quick witted and smart person at times when not clouded by emotional misjudgment.

Linlin nodded pulling up the to the lights and thanking god when they turned red for them and afforded a few minutes for Rhea to slip out and hightail it off the road and back in the direction they came from. She wasted no time in getting out and on her way.

Rhea was quick on her feet, half jogging, half power walking and headed where they saw her a moment ago with determination. A sense of urgency and yet empathy coursing through her and she forgot everything about past grudges against this girl and instead truly wanted to find her and bring her to safety. Her hearts welling with a protective instinct as a woman to know someone vulnerable had been so badly abused.

“TangShi!!” Rhea spotted her cutting through a park entranceway ahead and called out, switching to a run and took off after her. “Wait. It’s me, Rhea.” She yelled knowing that it might not get her the results she hoped for given their last encounter and YuZhi’s cruel voicemail. TangShi glanced back at the sound of her name, seemingly caught in a blank daydream and paused, for the figure trying to catch up with her. Dazed at first and not really acknowledging who it was.

Her mind a million miles away so she didn’t register at first and then hesitated when Rhea’s face became a focused vision instead of a blurred one. Confused at her sudden appearance as Rhea caught up to her and hooked her arm in hers to keep hold of her.

“How’s your foot? Is it painful? Do you need help to walk?” Rhea looked down seeing no real evidence of an injury or swelling and scanning her overall appearance noting TangShi seemed gaunt and slimmer than last time they met. Other than her drawn face, pale pallor and dreamlike state, she seemed absolutely fine much to Rhea’s relief. She realized how uptight she had gotten herself on the way here with the state they might find her in.

“What? Why…… why are you here? How do you know I twisted my ankle?” TangShi blanched, unsure how to take this sudden invasion of obvious care from this particular person and tried to pull away. Not wanting physical touch from this crazy woman who didn’t even like her.

“I’m with Linlin, she’s parking and ZhengLi called saying you might need your ankle looked at.”

“It’s fine. I’m fine. I don’t need it seen as it’s getting better as I walk.” TangShi slid free, pushing Rhea away and eyed her up and down with utter mistrust. Her heart twisting at the memory of YuZhi’s voicemail a few days ago and stepped away from her. All she saw was a woman who twice attacked her.

“Let’s go get her then. She came to pick you up.” Rhea ignored the deadpan look, the change in her demeanor to defensive and waved behind her to move them from this spot. Aware some meandering walkers had glanced over and worried they would be recognized. Even with sunglasses on.

“Why is Linlin with you?” TangShi baulked at her. A hint of disbelief and jealousy and a stirring of anger that there was something off going on..

“Ummm… it’s….. let her tell you, okay? I promise I’m not here to cause problems.” Rhea floundered, aiming for a gentle and light approach as though TangShi was a child.

“Are you happy now? You know how I screwed things up and he hates me! You get him back after all. Is that why you’re here? To gloat!” TangShi’s throat ached as her voice broke, and a single tear rolled down her cheek that she wiped away aggressively. Refusing to sob out here and jutting her chin out in hostile defiance, ready to battle this wench. Finding a fire she rarely let out.

“It’s not like that. I’m not happy about any of it and after talking to Linlin and …..” Rhea sighed heavily, wanting so badly to tell her the truth but knowing it wasn’t her place. “Please, just come to Linlin’s car and we can all talk.”

Almost as if on cue Rhea’s cell began to ring and she whipped it out holding it towards TangShi to show her Linlin’s name appearing on screen. “Answer it and ask her yourself. Please, just go with me.” She held it out for TangShi to take and she did so with a dubious gentleness, so they didn’t touch fingers, swiping it to answer.All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

“Linlin?” She asked, staring Rhea dead in the eye and maintaining a glare. It was obvious there was no trust.

“Yesss!! Tis Moi, my little chickadee. You’re hero has arrived. I parked up a half mile away from where we saw you, please head with Rhea past the traffic lights she got off and come find me. I’m on the side of the road. How’s your foot?” Linlin was busily waving her hands at passing cars slowing down to see if she had broken down with her odd choice of parking space, getting annoyed with busybodies.

“Why is Rhea here?” TangShi asked in the same monotone and unimpressed way as her facial expression. A hint of betrayal at her best friend being with this woman. Discarding everything Linlin said.

“She asked me to meet her. She came with me…… Just come to the car so I can tell you, okay?” Linlin was drumming her fingers impatiently knowing she shouldn’t keep this from her but not sure how else to tell her either. Her main concern was getting her little princess to a hospital to get checked over.

“Tell me now.” TangShi looked Rhea up and down, trying to summarize exactly what there could be going on between them that they would need to ‘tell’ her something. Refusing to play ball when she was being kept in the dark.

“I want to see your face first. Just come.” Linlin was getting uptight at TangShi’s reluctance, knowing her stubborn side could be a nightmare. Hating that she was questioning and not in the mood for her to be defiant. She rarely was, but sometimes…..

“I want to walk and clear my head, so I’ll see you at home. I don’t need babysitters.” TangShi hung up before Linlin could say anymore and tossed the phone back at Rhea in a flippant manner. A sulky mood overtaking her as bitterness seeped in. Angst riling her and the scenario with YuZhi still rolling around in her head and making her crazy.