The Contract With Her Father's Billionaire Rival-Chapter 91. Pushing it.

Nicolette blinked back the confusion so she could focus, but she just couldn’t. The confusion deepened inside her, clouding her mind and blurring her attention for a few moments.

So what now? Rachel was a victim and not working with Ronald?

It didn’t make sense.

"What do you mean he threatened you?" Detective Hector asked on the screen.

Rachel sighed, her discomfort now more obvious. "Do... I have to talk about it?"

"Yes. If it’s important to the case, you have to," Investigator Chen said, her voice calm but firm.

Nicolette held her breath, feeling a wave of discomfort rise inside her. She waited, anticipation knotting in her chest.

Rachel bit her lip and cracked her fingers before she spoke. "Ronald Voss came to me about a business deal. He said he was going to take over the art world, and he wanted me and others to join him.

"He was serious about it and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He even talked about having Nicolette join the group. He made it sound like he had a sinister plan for her, and that made me uncomfortable. So I took it upon myself to warn Nicolette," she finished, then leaned back in her chair.

Confusion reeled inside Nicolette as she stared at the screen.

None of what Rachel said made sense.

It felt like she wasn’t telling the whole story. It was like she was holding back, sharing just a fraction of what she knew.

"Miss R.J., your story isn’t straightforward," Detective Hector said, moving closer to her.

She thought so too!

"You’re patching the story together," Investigator Chen added. "It seems incomplete, like a lie."

"Well, I am telling the truth," Rachel argued, her voice tight.

"Not sure it’s the whole truth, though, right?" Investigator Chen asked.

Rachel didn’t say anything. She just looked away.

"Miss R.J., is there something you’re not telling us?" Detective Hector asked.

"No," Rachel said, but she didn’t meet their eyes.

"You said Ronald Voss threatened you. What was that about?" Investigator Chen asked.

Rachel remained silent, still looking away.

Investigator Chen leaned forward. "If you don’t say it, there’s no way we can help—"

"I don’t need help," Rachel cut in sharply. "I’m fine."

"Miss R.J.—" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"I said I’m fine, Detective!" she snapped. "I am a grown woman. If I need your help, I know where to find you. Now would that be all, or are you still going to hold me here? Or is this the point where I call my lawyer?"

Detective Hector and Investigator Chen exchanged looks before Detective Hector finally spoke. "That would be all. Thank you for your time."

And the video ended.

Nicolette blinked. "That’s it?" she asked, her voice trembling with frustration.

"Yes, ma’am. Unfortunately," Detective Hector replied as he stood.

She rose to her feet as well, her voice cracking. "She was obviously hiding something. She was lying, and you let her leave. You know she’s lying."

"Ma’am, I understand you, but we can’t force her to say what she doesn’t want to," Detective Hector explained. "Besides, it wasn’t related to the fire."

Nicolette shook her head, disbelief and frustration swirling inside her. "She didn’t even answer it all. She said nothing about the fire. That’s why you brought her in."

Her voice was starting to raise, so she sighed, pursing her lips to stop herself.

Detective Hector shrugged, his expression making it clear there were things he couldn’t explain.

She sighed and walked out of the room.

No.

That can’t be it. It’s not possible.

Rachel had so much more to say. Why didn’t they persist? Why let her go like that?

"Thank you ma’am, for coming," Detective Hector said as he followed her out. "And like I said earlier, I understand your frustration, but we’re working on it."

There was determination in his tone, even some assurance, but Nicolette didn’t believe it. Not after everything she just witnessed. Still, she couldn’t let him see how disappointed she was.

So she plastered on a smile. "I appreciate you, Detective. Thank you."

He nodded. "You’re welcome."

He led the way, and she followed, her heart flipping with annoyance and quiet pain. She couldn’t believe Rachel said so much without actually making sense.

And the worst part was that Detective Hector seemed to believe her.

Once they were in the hallway, she turned to him. "Thank you, Detective."

"You’re welcome, ma’am," he replied with a smile. "I’ll keep you updated when we have news."

"Alright, Detective. Thank you," she smiled again, then walked out of the station.

The instant she was outside, she dropped the smile, letting her annoyance show.

She couldn’t believe Rachel had gotten away with this. She just wanted to scream, but instead, she composed herself and made her way to the car.

"Drive me to the new building, please," she told Wex, who nodded and started the engine.

She sank into the car seat, overwhelmed by so many emotions. It felt like there were no breaks in her life. It felt like her life was just one freaking crisis after another.

And just when she thought she had finally had a breakthrough, when something good might actually happen—it slipped right through her fingers again.

She clenched her fist, anger rising inside her like a storm.

What was she supposed to do now?

She had to speak to Rachel. She had to understand what Rachel was hiding. If Ronald really threatened her, then Rachel wasn’t safe at all.

Her phone rang, pulling her from her thoughts. An unknown number was calling.

"Hello?" she answered cautiously.

"Hello, Ms. Allens. It’s Tom, Mr. Allens’ personal assistant. I was told we have some arrangements to make."

"Yes," she said, relaxing a little.

"I’m on my way to your new building, if that’s alright with you, ma’am," Tom said, speaking gently like he was choosing his words with care.

"That’s okay. I’m on my way there," she replied. "See you soon."

"Yes, ma’am."

Then her thoughts drifted back to Rachel.

"Can you help me get Rachel—R.J’s number? I need to speak to her," she asked.

"No problem, ma’am. I’ll do that right away," Tom replied. "Would that be all, ma’am?"

"Yes, Tom. Thank you," she said and ended the call.

She exhaled deeply, preparing herself for the conversation ahead.

What approach should she take?

Treat Rachel as a victim or as a suspect?

She had no idea, but she was curious to see how she would handle it. And how Rachel was going to respond.

Rachel’s action would yield her own reaction.

"We’re here, ma’am," Wex said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She lifted her head and saw they were parked in the premises of the new building.

She noticed a woman standing close to the entrance.

The woman didn’t look like any of the designers, she was dressed in a green gown like she was a delivery person.

Curious, Nicolette stepped out of the car and approached her.

"Hello," she said with a polite wave. "How may I help you?"

The woman stepped closer, a broad smile spreading across her face. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Crawford. I have a delivery from your husband."

Nicolette groaned softly as the woman held out a box of flowers and an odd collection of other items.

Mrs. Crawford?

At this point, Lucian was really pushing it.