After leaving the restaurant, Rain bought a basket of fruit and headed straight to Clayton University Hospital where her Aunt Melanie was currently staying. Unfortunately, she only got as far as the entrance before the security guards stopped her.
"Seriously?!" She hissed under her breath.
"I'm sorry, Miss Rain, but Mr. Tim strictly instructed us to not let you inside until you've produced a divorce certificate," the security guard said apologetically.
Rain took a deep breath and grabbed her mobile phone to call her father to demand an explanation. The call connected, and her father's gruff voice answered, "What do you want, Rain?"
"Can't you let me see Aunt Melanie now?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
"I have not received news of your divorce from the Civil Affairs Bureau," was her father's cold reply.
Before she could even reply, her father abruptly ended the call. Rain could only grit her teeth. She was tempted to give in, but she promised herself she would never bend to his father's threats again.
Calming herself down, she let out a heavy sigh before handing the basket of fruits to the guard. "Can you please give this to Aunt Melanie?"
The guard nodded with a smile and Rain turned around to leave with a heavy heart. It wasn't the first time her father used Aunt Melanie to manipulate her into doing his bidding. However, it would have to be the last time. If she caved now, she would lose the chance to leave the family for good.
With her phone still in hand, Rain began typing a text message to her aunt.
Rain: Aunty, I'm sorry I won't be able to see you in person for now. It may take a while, but I'll definitely find a way to see you.
Aunt Melanie: It's fine, my dear. I understand your situation. Like I always tell you, don't let my brother use me to bend you to his will. You know I'll always support you and would want you to focus on living your life well. We can just do voice and video calls, so don't worry. I am well, and I hope you are too. If you need anything, don't hesitate to tell me, alright?
Rain: Yes, I will, Aunty. Thank you so much. I'll see you soon.
Faced with her aunt's understanding nature, Rain felt like crying. Aunt Melanie was real family to her; a comforting presence she often turned to for solace from Sylvia and Dina's bullying and her father's cold treatment of her.
With her business done, she was on her way to the car when her mobile phone rang again. Fishing it out of her pocket, she saw that her detective friend, Brandon, was calling her.
Shrugging, she answered her phone, "Yes?"
"Rain, are you free tonight? I need your help on a murder case I'm working on right now," Brandon remarked. "And I can't find anyone more suitable for this than you.".
Rain frowned at his words. The only high profile murder case she could think of was the one reported in the news recently. There were at least three women found dead and stripped naked in an alley, causing fear and panic in the city.
"Tell me where I should meet you," she answered. If Brandon was asking her for help, things must be dire.
The call then ended with Brandon messaging her about the place. Coordinates acquired, Rain drove to his hideout directly. All the while, she found herself thinking about how she and Brandon became good friends.
Brandon Russo was a forty-year-old righteous but quick-tempered detective. Rain met him seven years ago when she was in high school at a gambling den. Back then, Rain often disguised herself as an older woman to gamble so that she could get money for school.
However, when Brandon's team raided the den, she was captured. Obviously, Rain did everything to get away, and he eventually let her go since she was a minor. He became her life mentor, and good friend, and soon she started volunteering to help him out with most of his cases.
And somehow, since she was good, she became his regular lackey in the shadows. He paid her well too, and her experiences with him inspired her to pursue criminology in college.
Eventually, her musings were cut short as she arrived at her destination. Brandon was waiting for her, with his board of images. Rain clenched her teeth as she glanced at the photos of women and children. Were they all dead?
"It's been a while!" Brandon greeted her with their usual fist bump. "Thanks for coming."
Rain frowned despite the greeting. It seemed that Brandon wasn't aware of her situation yet. Knowing him, he should've teased her about her unexpected marriage by now. Or perhaps he was simply trying to get down to business.
Well, her marriage news could wait. She should just let Sanya do it later. There were other, more important things to worry about.
"What do you need my help with?"
"This case is a lot more dangerous than the others. Hear me out first, then I'll respect your decision if you don't want to do it," Brandon said. "Recently, we've been trying to find the culprit for the recent spate of murders, but we've hit a dead end."
"The only lead we have is that all of them have ties to The Gentleman's Club, but we don't have enough evidence for a search warrant."
"So you need me to be your insider?" Rain guessed.
"Exactly. Because this club is prestigious, they won't hire average-looking girls. I don't have anyone else that could pass their screening except you," he said with a wry grin. "According to our source, their entertainers are the only ones with privilege and access to every room. I need you to plant spy cameras so we can gather evidence."
Rain shrugged, snorting softly, "Do you even know if I can dance?"
"I'll have someone train you," Brandon confidently replied. "Besides, you're always a fast learner. And as always, I'll set you up with a solid disguise and ensure your safety," he reassured.
"Of course, that is if you agree," Brandon said. "Like I said, it's very dangerous. The women found showed signs of drug overdoses, abuse, and rape. And most are from poor families. We believe they are targeting these women on purpose."
"Those bastards… Fine, I'll do it," she firmly declared.
She hated injustice the most. It was why she pursued law despite her father's lack of support in the first place. She wanted to protect others, even if it cost her.
"Let's get you ready then. You'll go undercover tonight," Brandon casually remarked. "There's a stag party booked, and security won't be tight since the guests are from high society."
"What?! You'll have me train on short notice and go undercover tonight?!" she burst out, her eyes wide with shock.