Although it was supposed to be her big day, Rebekah wasn't feeling excited about it in any way.
It was less than two hours before the show, and she was still seated in front of her dressing table, staring into the mirror.
The makeup artist she had contacted and the hair stylist would arrive soon, and she couldn't even work up the motivation to freshen up before their arrival.
She had no idea why the thought of being on a live show suddenly made her feel very nervous, like she was a trapped mouse.
Thomas Hank and Lucinda Perry would probably watch the show, and if they had so much as forgotten about her existence, seeing her on their screen would draw their attention back to her.
It did not help that despite driving the long distance to the chief judge's office the previous day; he had refused to see her.
She had waited for hours, but all to no avail. It seemed like everyone, and everything was working against her right now, and she had no idea why.
She had even gone to her hitman's place once again, and after looking around to be sure no one suspicious was lurking around, she had gone in to search his place to see if she would find anything that could tie him to her.
She turned to the door when a knock sounded on it, and before she could say anything, the door opened, and both Bernice and Tiffany walked into the bedroom.
They were both dressed in the outfits they had picked when they all went shopping for the show together the last time.
"Don't tell me you haven't had your bath, Mother?" Tiffany asked in disbelief as she looked at her mother, who was still dressed in her sleeping gown.
"Are you ill?" Bernice asked as they both went to her side.
They both looked so radially dressed and excited that she began to feel uncomfortable, "I'm not ill. I was just going to the bathroom now," She said as she rose.
"You don't look so healthy, Mother. And you look like you haven't been sleeping well. You have circles under..."
"I said I'm fine!" Rebekah snapped at Tiffany irritably.
"Why are you both here anyway?" she asked with a frown.
"Well, we figured we all leave together like in a convoy. We came with our most expensive cars. We should make a statement with our arrival, you know?" Tiffany said excitedly, and Rebekah smiled reluctantly.
"Yeah. Sure. I should freshen up before my makeup artist and hairstylist gets here," Rebekah said, wanting them to excuse her.
"By the way, have you seen the news about Wilson?" Bernice asked as they headed for the door.
"Yes. I received a call from Emilia yesterday," Rebekah said, and both Bernice and Tiffany looked at her with interest.
"Is the news true?" Tiffany asked, and Rebekah shrugged.
"They did what they had to do to get to where they are now. You can wait for me in the dressing room," she said dismissively as she walked into the bathroom, leaving her daughters to excuse her.
"What does she mean by that?" Tiffany asked Bernice as they headed downstairs to the dressing room.
"She means exactly what she said. We come from a family of horrible people who would do anything to get to where they want to be," Bernice said, not exactly surprised.
"I wonder where the poor girl is," Tiffany said with a sigh.
"That is if she is still alive. Anyway, what do you think is wrong with her? Is she suddenly having cold feet about the show?" Bernice asked, and Tiffany shook her head.
"Looks that way to me. Well, it's our duty to make sure she gets there. She wouldn't dare back out of a show like that. Especially not when Eric already announced us to be the next guests on the show," Tiffany said, and Bernice smiled.
"Hopefully, everything will go well. She would be arrested, and Jack would be released," Tiffany said as they walked into the dressing room where the makeup artist and hairstylist were going to doll up Rebekah.
"I wonder what Jade Hank has up her sleeves for the show," Bernice said thoughtfully.
"We will find out soon enough. I can't wait to see her escorted out by the police," Tiffany said as she touched up her makeup.
"That would be a sight to behold," Bernice said as she also touched up her makeup.
"I've been thinking," Tiffany said after a while, and Bernice turned to her.
"About what?"
"About Jack and I. I'm going to ask for a divorce after things settle down," Tiffany said, and Bernice's eyes widened.
"For real? I thought you were kidding when you mentioned it the last time," she asked, feeling guilty.
She knew it would be hard for Tiffany to forgive and forget what she did with her husband.
"I thought about it and decided it was time to be true to myself. Lisa is so happy in her home. I want that for myself. A partner who is crazy about me and who I feel the same about. Look at Anita. Although she almost ruined things for herself, she is set to change her life now. The life I'm living right now is what mother chose for me. I didn't choose it. I want to live for myself now. I think you should too," Tiffany said, and Bernice shrugged.
"I get what you mean. It's not like I have a choice anyway. With Adam gone now, I don't have to worry about a messy divorce," Bernice said, and Tiffany nodded in agreement.
"Talking about messy stuff, Mother's arrest is going to bring a lot of ugly attention to us. Maybe we should travel to somewhere with the kids and lie low until things settle," Tiffany suggested.
"I'm not sure I can do that. I'm yet to see Adam's body, remember? And I know nothing about the funeral arrangement either. The boys and I can't be absent at his funeral," Bernice said, and they both stopped talking abruptly when they heard footsteps approaching.
It was the make-up artist and hairstylist who had arrived to get Rebekah ready.
Rebekah joined them twenty minutes later, and as they busied with dolling her up while her daughters talked about Lisa's beautiful baby, Rebekah remembered what Emilia had said about Thomas.
"Are you both aware that Rachel's ex-fiance happened to be Lucinda Perry's twin brother?" she asked, and they both turned to her in surprise.
"Really?" Tiffany asked in surprise.
"I guess that's how Anita knew about Lucinda's past?" Bernice said thoughtfully.
"I guess so. I didn't think about that. Emilia and her husband believe that Thomas Hank might be behind their problem," Rebekah said, and both sisters frowned.
"Why would he do that? I thought Anita mentioned that it was the guy that called off the engagement?" Bernice asked curiously, and Rebekah explained the details to them since it was easier to dwell and focus on other people's problems than hers.
"If Thomas Hank is truly behind this, then I must say he is scary," Tiffany said with a false shudder.
"That is why you shouldn't have employed the service of his sister. What makes you think she would judge the case in your favour? What if she is just trying to find something to use against us?" Rebekah asked, and Tiffany rolled her eyes.
"We didn't do anything wrong..."
"You of all people who encountered her at the spa, shouldn't be saying that. And after that video Anita made, it would do us good to avoid them completely," Rebekah said, and Bernice smiled.
"You sound scared, mother. That is so unlike you," Bernice taunted, and as she expected, Rebekah raised a chin.
"Scared? Of who? I am not scared. I have no reason to be. It would be foolish not to be careful. That's all I'm saying," Rebekah said haughtily.
"If you're so concerned about it, maybe we should pay Thomas Hank a visit and apologise for all misunderstanding so he doesn't target us," Tiffany suggested, even though she knew it was too late for their mother already.
"I agree with you. Anita has mentioned you already..."
"Or maybe I could take a moment to address that during the show?" Rebekah suggested, and both her daughters clapped in agreement.
"That would be perfect!" Tiffany said, and Rebekah smiled.
She was going to do just that. She was not so stupid to want to go against Thomas Hank, especially not now when she didn't have the backing of her inlaws.
An hour later, Rebekah Miller was all glammed up and strutting like a peacock as she walked into Eric Howell's office with her daughter behind her.
It was her first time meeting him in person, and thanks to her daughters, all the jitters she had been having earlier had been replaced with excitement.
She was Rebekah Miller, after all.
"Hello, Mrs Miller! It's a pleasure to have you in our studio today," Eric greeted pleasantly as he rose to shake hands with the woman he had become so curious about.
He was dying to know just what secrets she had that Thomas Hank wanted to expose.
"The pleasure is all mine, Mr Howell..."
"Eric. Call me, Eric, please. I love to be on a friendly basis with my guests. And these beauties are your lovely daughters, I suppose," Eric said as his gaze shifted from Rebekah to Tiffany and Bernice.
"Yes, they are. This is Bernice, my eldest daughter. She was married to the late Adam Washington, and this is Tiffany, my second daughter. She is married to Jackson Bateman of Bateman Corp," Rebekah said proudly, making her daughters cringe at her tactlessness.
How could she talk about Adam's death so dismissively, like it happened ages ago, and mention Jackson like he was some superstar when in reality, he was locked up for a crime they believed she committed?
"My condolences. I read about both of your husbands. As a matter of fact, I didn't expect that either of you would make it here today," Eric said, and Tiffany smiled.
"We couldn't leave our mother to be here alone, seeing as you requested an interview with her and her daughters. Our other sisters can't be here because the youngest is out of town, and the other put to birth a couple of days ago. So, we just had to be here to support our mother," Bernice explained with a polite smile.
"I see. I wouldn't like to put you both in a tough spot considering how things are right now for both of your families. I don't mind interviewing your mother alone if this is going to be stressful for you," Eric said, and before Rebekah could speak both, Bernice responded.
"No, it's fine. We are okay. We need the distraction," Bernice said, and Tiffany nodded in agreement, leaving Eric to wonder about the manner of people they were.
How could they show up for a live television show at a time like this? He mused.
He still couldn't wrap his head around what was going on, especially after the visit from Jade Hank that left him with the impression that the daughters were working together with the Hanks against their mother.
"Then you won't mind answering some questions while on the show? I'm sure the viewers would be curious," Eric said, and Rebekah tried not to look displeased by the idea that her daughters were going to steal the show from her.
"I don't think that's a good idea..."
"Sure. We don't mind answering some questions. We have nothing to hide after all," Tiffany said, and Bernice nodded in agreement while Rebekah forced a smile.
"As long as we don't make the show all about their marital woes," she said with awkward laughter and her daughters joined in her laughter, surprising Eric, who expected them to be offended by their mother's word.
"We wouldn't dare steal your show, mother! You are the star of the day," Bernice assured her with a bright smile.
They all turned to the door when a knock sounded before the door was cracked open a bit to reveal Eric's assistant.
"The stage is set, and the audience is ready for the show," she informed them so they could leave.
"I guess it's show time, ladies!" Eric announced before leading them out of his office to the stage where Alicia was already seated waiting for them.
Bernice's phone beeped with a text notification as she followed them, and her heart skipped a beat when she paused to click on it and saw it was from Jade.
[Your husband is not dead.]
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