Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
Then, noticing a poster soliciting volunteer participation, Nicole spotted an opening. “Mr. Castillo, might I volunteer here?” she proposed.
Mr. Castillo regarded her skeptically.
“Believe me. I won’t interfere or cause any issues. You can check my references with Mr. Bates,” Nicole stated sincerely.
Mr. Castillo still hesitated. “This situation is making me uneasy,” he confessed.
“I’m being transparent with you, Mr. Castillo. I simply wish to engage with the staff and understand the reasons behind their departures. I’m not willing to let any opportunity slip by,” Nicole stated openly.
Her forthrightness appeared to sway Mr. Castillo, and he contemplated that allowing her to conduct her inquiries might prove beneficial.
Should she uncover nothing suspicious, it would further affirm his trust in the agency’s integrity.
Mr. Castillo explained, “To apply for a volunteer position, you’ll need to talk to our recruitment officer and undergo an interview with her. I will not interfere for the sake of you.”
Nicole expressed her gratitude, “Thank you, Mr. Castillo.”
She then sought out the recruitment officer. Although navigating the procedure was somewhat intricate, Nicole successfully completed the volunteer interview.
She committed herself to volunteer two days each week, consistently being the first to arrive and the last to leave.
Nicole proved to be diligent and quickly gained favor at the agency.
While there, she actively sought out information and inquired about employees who had considered resigning over the past six months.
She expanded her investigation, careful not to overlook any detail.
Knowing Jarrod’s careful nature, she surmised that if he were involved in any wrongdoing, it would be meticulously orchestrated.
Pretty soon, she discovered that in the last six months, only four employees had planned to leave, with one already having resigned.
Nicole examined the remaining three who were still with the agency but found nothing suspicious on the surface.
Still, she continued her investigation. During her days off, she surveilled the home of the employee who had resigned, curious if he maintained any connections with current agency staff.
After a week of observation, she noticed an anomaly. He was still engaging with a female employee from the agency. They met for dinner at a restaurant, and after their meal, they lingered until the establishment closed.
Nicole’s suspicions deepened, and she peered into the restaurant. It was dark. The restaurant had shut down for the evening. Where could the two have disappeared to?
She moved around to the back entrance of the restaurant to look for any signs.
Behind the building, enveloped in darkness, Nicole noticed a few rooms above the restaurant glowing with red and purple lights, flickering in a way that suggested something unsavory.
The scene struck her as odd, the lights bearing the hallmarks of those typically seen in red-light districts.
Nicole captured the scene with her phone’s camera and then resumed her surveillance from the front.
She had invested over ten thousand dollars in a nondescript, used car, perfect for blending in as she sat inside, positioned to monitor the restaurant’s front entrance, her dash cam set to record all activity.
True to her suspicions, around one in the morning, the female colleague from the testing facility stealthily slipped out of an alley next to the restaurant. Her vehicle was parked nearby. She walked to it and quickly drove away.
Roughly thirty minutes later, the man who had resigned appeared from behind the restaurant.
As he approached his car, about to enter, a sudden beam of light caught him. Startled by the unexpected company, he quickly became agitated, raising his hands to shield his face.
Nicole got out of her car and made her way to the man, calling out his name loudly, “Derek Ellsworth.”
Derek was startled. Since he had resigned already, he didn’t know Nicole and was surprised she knew his name. “Who are you?”
Nicole walked closer to Derek and said, “Who I am is irrelevant. I’m interested in knowing something that might be related to you. Did you tamper with the blood samples at the agency on the thirteenth of this month?”
Derek’s face was a mask of shock. His lips trembled as he retorted, “What nonsense are you speaking? I’ve already resigned. How could I have the means to tamper with anything at the agency?”
Nicole had anticipated his denial, but his reaction told her that he was hiding something. She coolly stated, “You may have resigned, but isn’t Leighton Sugden still working there?”
Derek’s face crumpled, but he quickly composed himself and snapped, “What are you blabbering about? How is Leighton connected to me?”
Derek was unaware that Nicole had been trailing him for a while and had discovered his unusual relationship with Leighton.
“Watch your words, and shut your mouth. If you spew any more nonsense, I’ll tear it apart!” Derek threatened Nicole sinisterly.
It was late at night, and they were alone on the street. Derek assumed Nicole would be terrified, so he tried to intimidate her.
However, Nicole remained unruffled. If he dared to harm her, it would only be a reason to get him investigated.
“You and Leighton left this restaurant one after the other just a few moments back. This place offers those kinds of rooms, doesn’t it? If I call the police now, do you think they will take you in for questioning?”
Derek panicked for a moment and stuttered, “You… You’ve been following me?”
“Of course, if I didn’t know about your activities, I wouldn’t have come looking for you. Oh, and by the way, Leighton is a married woman. How do you think her husband would react if he found out about the two of you?” Nicole chose her words smartly, giving the impression that she knew a lot when in reality, she was only in possession of a little information.
All Nicole had were tidbits she had picked up from casual conversations with the cleaning lady at the agency. She didn’t even know what Leighton’s husband did or where he worked. But she couldn’t reveal her cards. She had to pretend like she knew everything to unnerve Derek.
As expected, Derek was unable to withstand the pressure and asked in an agitated voice, “What do you want?”
“I want to know if you and Leighton conspired together on the thirteenth to switch the blood samples.” Nicole’s question was direct and to the point.
It wasn’t difficult to reach this conclusion. It was clear from Derek’s demeanor that he had a hand in the incident. Since he had already resigned, he could only have utilized Leighton’s presence in the agency to accomplish it.
Jarrod didn’t employ idiots. It was easier to target Derek than to try to go through Leighton.
Nicole had learned from the cleaning lady at the agency that Leighton came from an affluent background and had two children, so Leighton was less likely to take a risk. But it would be different if Derek asked her to do it. Since Leighton’s mind was clouded with love, Derek could easily persuade her with his sweet words.
“How do you know…” Derek began asking. But he instantly realized something wasn’t right and abruptly changed his tone, exclaiming, “Stop spouting nonsense!”
Perhaps he was still on a high from meeting his lover. Besides, it was late into the night, and his mind wasn’t as alert as during the day. He nearly revealed something, which could have been a_ huge mistake.
“Do you think everything you say is correct? Stop speaking rubbish. Be careful walking about at night. You might get such a fright that you drop dead!” Derek threatened malevolently and got into his car to get out of here.
Nicole tapped on his car window, intent on asking him more questions when suddenly, he started the car and sped off.
Nicole didn’t bother going after him. Although it was late, she was still in a residential area, and she wasn’t afraid of him. However, chasing him might provoke him to react desperately.
Her first thought was to call Rhett, but it was very late. So, she texted Rhett to update him about the situation instead.
Surprisingly, Rhett was still up and replied, “I’ll investigate this man.”
Nicole got back into her car. Her next plan of action was to stake out Leighton’s house and use Leighton as a breakthrough point. What she currently knew wasn’t enough to prove that something was amiss with Jarrod’s forensic results. She needed some solid evidence, like a confession.
However, Nicole knew it would be tough. Jarrod’s men were always cautious. They probably bribed and threatened people to secure their loyalty. It was difficult to make someone confess the truth when they had been bought.
So, Nicole felt it was wiser to collect more proof. The private meetings between Derek and Leighton were suspicious in themselves. If she could build on this evidence, even if she didn’t have enough to turn the tables completely, it could capture the media’s attention and pressure the agency into retesting Jarrod.
With this in mind, Nicole started her car and had just rounded the corner when she spotted a sedan hurtling directly toward her.
The vehicle’s high beams blinded Nicole, and she squinted to look past the glare. In just one second, the car was in front of hers, speeding wildly.
Alarm bells went off in Nicole’s mind. This car seemed to be gunning for her.
Making a split-second decision, Nicole jerked the steering wheel hard, tilting her car to one side and narrowly avoiding a collision.
She could finally see clearly. It was a silver sedan. In fact, it was the same one Derek had raced off in earlier in a state of panic.
He had now returned to the scene.
A horrifying possibility crossed Nicole’s mind. She quickly shifted gears to get away, but because the car was in such poor condition, it stalled after just a few inches.
Her car sat alone in the middle of the night on the secluded street.
Nicole heard the screeching sound of Derek’s car accelerating, and a dazzling beam of white Light Lit up the darkness behind her.
Nicole peeked in the rearview mirror, only to be blinded by the intense light.
It was obvious that since Derek hadn’t managed to crash into her with his speeding car, he had turned around to finish the job.
The engine’s roar and the glaring light drove home the point that Derek was determined to ram into Nicole’s car and wreck it completely.
Nicole couldn’t figure out why Derek, who had just fled in a cold sweat, would suddenly take such a drastic and dangerous step. Where did he get the courage?
Nicole didn’t have time to dwell on these questions. She frantically shifted gears again, pressing down hard on the accelerator.
But her car remained stubborn and unresponsive, and she made several attempts to start it. Meanwhile, Derek’s car was almost upon her.
Finally, the engine roared to life. Nicole gripped the steering wheel tightly, veering to one side to avoid Derek’s imminent collision.
In terms of speed, her old manual car didn’t hold a candle to Derek’s vehicle. For now, her only choice was to evade him and run.
Even as she swerved, Derek’s silver sedan slammed hard into the left rear of her car, causing a loud boom.
The impact forced her trunk open, but Nicole was too busy to worry about that. She floored the accelerator, speeding away in the opposite direction of the silver sedan. This maneuver bought her some time as Derek turned around to chase her.