Chapter 124

Seeing the situation, Leo could only nod helplessly and tapped Briar on the forehead. "We'll talk about this later when our guests leave. That was really rude."

Briar stuck out her tongue playfully, clearly not taking his words seriously.

It seemed Leo usually treated Briar very well. Otherwise, if he were truly going to scold her, she wouldn't be acting so carefree; she'd be scared.

Savannah and I exchanged a glance, and she gave me a barely noticeable nod, indicating she had thoroughly checked out the house.

I felt more confident.

The tea on the table had gone cold. Leo stood up to pour me another cup, but I quickly stopped him. "No need, Leo. I should get going. I have some things to take care of."

Leo paused, then stood up to see me off.

Briar, who had taken a liking to Savannah, insisted on coming along. She clung to Savannah's wrist, reluctant to let go.

Savannah patted Briar's head. "I'll come play with you next time."

Seeing Briar about to follow us out, I quickly intervened. "No, you should stay home. You haven't been well lately, remember? You had a fever not long ago. Stay here and rest. We'll take you to Suncrest City to play soon, and then you can have all the fun you want."

Briar looked at me, puzzled. "Fever? I didn't have a fever. Dad said I'm very healthy."

I was taken aback and looked up at Leo, who had a strange expression on his face before quickly returning to normal.

"Briar, you must have forgotten. You did have a fever recently."

It seemed that the last time I ran into Leo at the hospital, he had lied to me. He wasn't there to get fever medicine for Briar.

As for why he was at the hospital, I had a hunch it had something to do with Renee, but I couldn't be sure.

Briar still looked confused. I waved it off. "Kids are like that. They feel terrible when they're sick but forget all about it afterward."

Leo smiled and nodded. "Alright, we won't see you out then. Drive safely."

After Savannah and I got in the car and started driving out of the neighborhood, she began to tell me about the details she had noticed.

"It looks like Renee hasn't been home for a long time. In their bedroom, there's only one pillow, and the bathroom only has one set of toiletries. Even if she didn't come back often, those things wouldn't be put away. This means she hasn't been back for a while."

I nodded. "Yes, Leo told me the same thing. It seems he wasn't lying about that."

"But Brandon came looking for Renee recently, and she was here. Plus, Leo initially told me Renee was on a business trip and wouldn't be back for a few days. There's a contradiction here."

I voiced my doubts, and Savannah shook her head, equally puzzled. "I don't know. It seems everyone in the Jordan family has their secrets."

I nodded in agreement, and we drove home together.

As we got out of the car, Savannah received a phone call, and her expression changed suddenly.

"Ms. Sharp, Shirley has escaped."

I was stunned. "What happened?"

"Shirley was in the ICU for a day and then transferred to a regular room. She woke up quickly, and I had people watching her, so she didn't move much and continued her treatment. But today, when the nurse came to check on her, she was gone."

I felt a sense of foreboding.

I quickly called Simon. "Hey, is there another problem?"

Simon's voice was as nonchalant as ever. "Shirley is missing from the room we arranged. Can you track her?"

Simon sounded unconcerned. "No problem. I secretly put a tracker on her phone. I'll check it out."

I was relieved to find Simon more reliable than I had thought.

He didn't hang up, and we waited in the car. Simon quickly came back with the information. "You won't believe where she went."

I frowned slightly. "Where?"

Simon chuckled. "Shirley went home, back to the house Brandon bought. I have no idea what she's thinking."

"I'll head over there and check it out. Wait for my video."

I nodded, feeling reassured. Honestly, I hadn't expected this. Shirley had managed to escape from the hospital, only to go back home?

Savannah and I exchanged a glance, ready to see what was happening once Simon sent the video.

We got out of the car and went inside. Brandon was lying on the couch, looking miserable, clearly hungover from the night before.

Seeing Savannah, he immediately ordered, "You're finally back. Get me a glass of milk."

Savannah looked at me, and I nodded for her to go ahead.

I sat down on the couch. "Who told you to drink so much last night? Feeling awful now, aren't you?"

Brandon sighed deeply. "Yeah, it's terrible. Drinking is a mistake."

"By the way, why are you back so late?"

I kept a straight face. "We got held up by something on the way. Have you eaten?"

Brandon rubbed his face and shook his head. "No, I have a headache. I'll drink the milk and then take a nap."

I nodded without saying anything. Soon, Savannah brought the milk and handed it to Brandon.

He drank it with a frown and was about to go upstairs when I received Simon's video.

I opened it and saw Shirley standing at the door, facing four or five real estate agents.

"Who gave you permission to sell my house? Brandon bought this house for me. I don't agree to sell it, so no one can buy it!"

The voice in the video made Brandon stop in his tracks. He turned to look at me. "What's going on?"

I gave him a mysterious smile. "Looks like you won't be getting that nap. Come with me to check this out."

"Let's see what Shirley is up to."

Brandon looked annoyed. He didn't want to go, but he was afraid Shirley might reveal some secrets if left alone with me, so he had no choice but to come along.

He sat in the car with a sullen face, clearly on the verge of losing his temper.