Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO

Chapter 18: Spy Friend

After a while, Rayna sat on the edge of the hotel bed, her expression unreadable as she stared out at the skyline of Zeden through the tall windows.

Her mind was reeling from everything Ruby had just told her. A wedding switch, a blind groom, a blackmailer lurking in the shadows — it sounded like something out of one of her blog’s most dramatic stories. But this wasn’t fiction. This was real. And her best friend was right at the center of it.

She glanced over at Ruby, who sat curled up in the armchair with a blanket draped over her lap. Her eyes looked heavier now — not from fatigue alone, but from the sheer weight of the secret she’d been carrying alone for the past three days.

Rayna had never seen her like this. Not even after her breakup with Jordan two years ago. This was a different kind of tired — the kind that comes from pretending every single moment.

Rayna’s heart twisted as she watched her friend. Ruby didn’t deserve any of this.

"I still can’t believe it," Rayna said finally, her voice low. "Three days pretending to be someone else. Pretending to be her. We all know how your sister is. That’s not just exhausting, Rub — that’s dangerous."

Ruby gave a weak nod. "I know. I keep asking myself when it’s all going to fall apart. I feel like I’m walking on a tightrope with no safety net."

Rayna pulled her knees up to the bed and hugged them. "And this blackmailer... have they said anything since the last message?"

Ruby shook her head. "Not yet. But I know they’re watching. It’s not just the messages — it’s the timing. They knew I was alone when they texted. It’s like they’re waiting for something... I don’t know what."

She had been thinking about it and she couldn’t shake off the feeling that the person knew exactly where she was staying. It couldn’t be Eliana since she’d most likely still be driving when she got the message.

It was just all a mess.

Rayna frowned, her fingers tightening around the edge of a pillow. "It’s like they want you to panic. Whoever this is, they’re enjoying the control. That’s dangerous, Rub. We need to take this seriously."

Ruby gave her a tired look. "I am taking it seriously. But what am I supposed to do? I can’t go to the police without exposing everything. And if Stefan finds out... about the deceit... if Elizabeth finds out... about the blackmail my mother and I—" Her voice cracked. "It would ruin everything."

Rayna’s protective instincts kicked in hard. She had always been the calm one in their friendship — the planner, the fixer. And now? Now she had to be the shield too.

"Okay," she said firmly, standing up. "We’re going to figure this out. First, you’re not going to respond to any more messages until we know who’s behind it. Even if he sends you something tempting, like he’s on his way to Stefan or anything. Second, I want to see those texts. I’ll check the metadata, see if anything stands out," she said going to stand in front of Ruby.

Ruby blinked, confused. "You know how to do that?"

true crime blogs for a living, remember? I’ve picked up a few tricks over the years," she said and then winked at

everything, Ruby let out a soft laugh — the first real

voice softer now. "Your laugh. Your sarcasm.

again.

Ivy now which means you have to do everything as she does," Rayna

I’m not doing all that. Stefan is blind, remember? He can’t actually see how I eat or laugh," she said with a

you said you wanted to run away. But

pull you into this mess. That’s why I haven’t called you since — after the

my mess. And I’m yours," Rayna said with a wink, trying to lift the mood. "Besides, I’m staying in Zeden until we

Ray. You

I want to. And I’ll do what I can. Maybe even pose as a guest at the mansion, see if I can dig up anything. If someone knows who you are... they must be

widened. "Ray,

life," she replied. "But

them for a moment, both girls lost in thought. Then Rayna reached for Ruby’s

everything. Every detail you remember. Anything that felt off. We’re going to piece this together, Rub. One

first time since Ivy disappeared, she didn’t feel like she was

they would fight back. And maybe, just maybe, they’d find Ivy too. Ruby thought as she

was beside her, open to the threatening text messages Ruby had received. It wasn’t much to go on — no number,

she muttered. "Masked their IP, blocked metadata, no time

her work with a mix of awe and anxiety. "Are you sure it’s safe to poke around like

"I’m not doing anything illegal. Just running it through databases, cross-referencing location pings from the hotel Wi-Fi. If they were nearby when they texted you, I might

about blackmail and sneaking into mansions, like they were in a spy movie. But this

the door jolted them

check the

later, please!" she

much? We’re in

be like this too, if you were pretending to be your twin while the real one