Chapter 358 Two Body Doubles
Rachel didn’t have it in her to watch the rest of the video on Leroy’s phone. Justin had already knowingly turned his head to the side, pretending that he didn’t know anything.
Meanwhile, Jolly finished changing into her fresh set of clothes and emerged from the bedroom. When she saw Leroy was showing Rachel and Justin the contents of the video being circulated on media websites, she charged over and snatched the phone over.
“What are you looking at? What’s so fun about it?” She even blew a gasket.
“It’s not something fun to watch, but that video’s already been shared over a million times online. There’s at least a million people who saw that video. Snatching the phone from me won’t do anything.”
“Since they’ve already watched it, fine, but you’re not allowed to!”
“What kind of reasoning is that? I’m helping you to find a way out of this.” Rachel was exasperated. She hadn’t watched the video out of curiosity. The only way she would be able to know why the fans were angry and find a way to resolve this uproar was to watch it.
“So, have you figured out something?”
Rachel threw her hands up in helplessness. “Nope.”
Right then, Leroy’s phone rang. Jolly reflexively took a look at the screen and handed the phone back to him. “Your manager.”
Leroy answered the phone in front of everyone. “Hello, Emmett? …Yeah, I’m still at the hotel. …No, Jolly and I aren’t the only ones here. Two of her friends are here too. One of them is Miss Hudson, the president of Hudson Pharmaceuticals.”
No one had any idea what Leroy’s manager said, but Leroy looked panicked as he glanced at Rachel and Justin. “That’s not exactly a good idea, right?” he asked, a complicated emotion in his tone.
Leroy’s manager talked to him for a bit longer. After he hung up, Jolly asked Leroy, “Is your manager here already? Where is he?”
Leroy nodded. “In the parking lot. Right now, he can’t come up; his car’s been surrounded by the reporters.”
“He should stay there. If he comes up now, it’ll just prove even further that you and Jolly are currently in this hotel. I’m worried that your fans will demolish the hotel today,” Rachel said.
She wasn’t saying this just to frighten him; with just a single, blurry video clip, Leroy’s fans were already holding banners and kicking up a fuss outside of Hudson Pharmaceuticals. If they were to see Leroy and Jolly sharing a room with their own eyes, they might just murder Jolly and burn the evidence.
Leroy looked apologetic. “Sorry for causing trouble for you all.”
Rachel finally had the time to scrutinize him. His features were clear-cut, and he had large eyes. His skin was clear, and those large eyes of his were especially beautiful. He was also gentle and polite when he spoke, but it wasn’t the same bookish softness that Julian had. His soft-spoken nature gave Rachel a different feeling.
Although society had by-and-large decided that someone with no ulterior motives would not exist, that was the feeling that Leroy gave off—someone who was carefree and simple.
Jolly huffily rolled her eyes at Leroy when he apologized. “Is now the time for apologies? Are apologies useful now?”
Rachel couldn’t stand it anymore. “Enough already, alright? Isn’t this caused by your drinking last night? If anyone should be apologizing, it should be you. Once this matter is over and done with, you will have to swear off alcohol.”
Jolly really couldn’t hold her alcohol.
“Now’s also not the time to talk about that.” Jolly shrugged and plopped onto the couch. “I was thinking—why not stay here for two weeks or so and wait for the outrage to die down?”
“You can stay here, but what about Leroy?” Rachel shot a look at Jolly. What kind of terrible idea was this?
“Did Leroy’s manager mention a plan when he called earlier?” Justin suddenly asked from the side.
Rachel and Jolly both froze. They first looked at Justin before shifting their gazes over to Leroy. Rachel’s wits then returned to her. “Oh, right, what did your manager say?”
To ordinary civilians like them, a situation like this was something they would pretty much never encounter. To a seasoned manager who had been in the entertainment industry for years though, this would be something they would be used to. Celebrities being discovered after booking a room for “personal” business happened frequently enough that there would be trending articles about them every two days or so, so managers had to move quickly for damage control.
Leroy hesitated for a moment. “He did say he has a plan, but I don’t think it’s all that appropriate.”
“It might just work. Go on, tell us,” Rachel said.
“Yeah, how would we know whether it’s appropriate if you don’t tell us?” Jolly asked.
A few seconds of silence later, Leroy glanced at Justin. “Emmett said to get two people to wear our clothes and draw the fans’ attention away so that we can leave.”
“Body doubles? Where are we supposed to find body doubles at this time?” Jolly frowned. “That’s an idealistic solution. What kind of crappy plan is that?” The moment she said that, though, she changed her mind when her gaze rested on Rachel and Justin. Didn’t they have two people who could act as doubles here? Justin’s build was close to Leroy’s. As for Rachel, although she was a little skinnier than Jolly, Leroy’s fans weren’t familiar with her. It was likely that no one would realize she wasn’t Jolly if she had a pair of sunglasses on.
The look in Jolly’s eyes instantly changed. Justin and Rachel exchanged glances. They knew very well what was coming next.
Ten minutes later, the door to the underground parking lot’s elevator opened with a ‘ding.’ Justin and Rachel emerged from the elevator, both of them sporting sunglasses and masks. Justin even had a cap on his head, the very same one that Leroy wore in the video from last night.
The parking lot was quiet. This was a complete surprise from what they had been expecting, but the silence wasn’t a serene one; it was the eerie kind of silence that sent shivers through one’s heart.
Rachel stumbled, but a large hand caught her arm in time.
“Be careful,” Justin said in a low voice.
Right then, they heard the sound of a camera shutter. A bright light flashed suddenly. Both of them froze. The next moment, the parking lot burst into activity. Reporters holding cameras with giant lenses swarmed out from the corners.
“It’s Leroy,” someone yelled.
“There’s no mistaking him. It’s Leroy, alright.”
Rachel was startled by the crowd. For a moment, she forgot how to move. Justin took her hand and swiftly moved to his car.
The reporters had been camping out there since earlier. From the moment Rachel and Justin took the elevator, the reporters had already been filming them. The secret filming had been like a hornet’s nest, and the sudden flash of light had been the rock to disturb it.
What was the importance of those photographs? If they could be the first one to break the news with photos of Jolly and Leroy with their faces clearly shown, then that would be solid proof of last night’s incident. It would be a huge scoop.
Rachel’s breaths came out in quick, shallow pants as Justin dragged her on a mad dash through the parking lot. Her eyes remained on his back and his hand on hers as they ran. Soon, they had put plenty of distance between themselves and the reporters, but they were still a good distance away from their car.
Soft footsteps sounded in front of them. Justin immediately pulled Rachel over to hide behind a car.
“Shh—”
Rachel tensed. With Justin’s gaze guiding her, she noticed the person in the car’s side mirror—a reporter was currently searching for them where they had been.
Instantly, Rachel didn’t even dare to pant anymore. Her heart nervously hammered away in her chest.
The space by the car was narrow. Both of them had their chests practically pressed together. Even their breaths intermingled.
