Chapter 5
Rachel’s next move had to be careful. She couldn’t go straight at Michelle Lang—Michelle was a star, adored by the media, surrounded by security, and untouchable. But Rachel wasn’t trying to bring her down in public—not yet. She just needed proof.
She started by watching every interview Michelle had given since Helen’s death. On the surface, Michelle was calm and charming, always smiling. But there was one video that caught Rachel’s eye. It was a red carpet interview from a film premiere just a week after Helen’s funeral.
In it, Michelle wore a black gown and a bright smile.
“Michelle,” the reporter asked, “you’ve had such an amazing year. Do you have anyone to thank for your success?”
Michelle blinked, her smile faltering for a split second. “Well… I guess… fate has its ways.”
That pause. That flicker in her expression. It wasn’t much, but to Rachel, it was a crack in the mask.
She kept digging.
Michelle’s assistant, Nina, used to be a student at the same university as Rachel and Helen. Rachel remembered her vaguely—a quiet girl who always stood in Michelle’s shadow, never speaking up. If there was anyone who knew Michelle’s secrets, it would be her.
So Rachel found her.
It took days of quiet tracking. Nina had left social media, but Rachel eventually spotted her outside a bookstore one afternoon. She followed her until she was alone in a small alley near the staff entrance.
“Nina,” Rachel said softly.
The girl froze, eyes wide. “Rachel?”
“Don’t scream. I’m not here to hurt you. I just need to talk.”
Nina looked like she wanted to run, but her curiosity held her in place. “They said you were dead…”
“I was supposed to be,” Rachel said bitterly. “You know I didn’t kill Helen.”
Nina swallowed. “I— I don’t know anything.”
Rachel stepped closer. “I think you do. I think you’ve been carrying it around all this time. You were there the night Helen died, weren’t you?”
Nina looked down. Her lips trembled. “I didn’t mean for it to happen.”
Rachel’s heart pounded. “Tell me.”
Nina wiped her eyes and whispered, “Helen found out something about Michelle. About how she got her big break. There was a producer… disgusting man. Helen found messages. Pictures. She wanted to go public, but Michelle was scared. She didn’t want her career ruined.”
Rachel listened, fists clenched.
“She begged Helen not to do it,” Nina went on. “They argued. Helen said she’d tell anyway. Michelle left. Later that night, Helen was dead.”
“And Michelle blamed me,” Rachel muttered. “Why?”
Nina looked ashamed. “You were the perfect scapegoat. You and Helen were fighting too. Michelle knew about that. And Eric…” she hesitated, “…Eric didn’t want a scandal. He believed what Michelle told him.”
Of course. Rachel remembered now—the night before Helen died, she and Helen had a small argument. Helen had accused her of being too close to Eric, and Rachel had stormed out. That argument had been twisted into a motive.
“Nina,” Rachel said, voice low, “I need proof. Something that connects Michelle to what happened that night.”
Nina looked terrified. “They’ll come after me.”
“I’ll protect you.”
She hesitated. Then, slowly, she reached into her bag and pulled out a flash drive.
“I backed up Helen’s phone the day before she died. She asked me to. I never told anyone.”
Rachel took the drive with shaking hands.
“You just gave me everything,” she whispered.
Now she had it—proof that could burn down Michelle’s empire. But she also knew that once Michelle realized what she had, there would be no turning back.
Rachel was no longer just fighting for justice.
She was preparing for war.