Chapter 215

I tried to casually ask Briar about the creepy smiley face on her phone.

To my surprise, Briar just shook her head. "No one."

But seeing her avoid my gaze, I knew someone had taught her to lie and not tell me.

I didn't push further. Briar is a good kid, and even if Renee had influenced her, it wasn't her fault.

We spent the next few days on edge, but the alarm system in the yard never went off.

It was almost time to head back to Skyview City.

With only ten days left before school started, she had to go back, whether she wanted to or not.

Briar pouted, looking at me with reluctance. "Ms. Sharp, I don't want to go home."

"I want to stay here."

Her pitiful expression tugged at my heart. Briar had been so timid at home, but here, she had completely opened up, becoming cheerful and outgoing.

Knowing how oppressive her home life was, I didn't want to send Briar back either.

But her parents were still around, and it wouldn't be right to keep her here without their consent.

"Sweetie, your dad misses you. Don't you want to go back?"

Briar shook her head vigorously. "I don't want to go back. Ms. Sharp, can I stay here and go to school with Brett?"

I was taken aback and gently patted her head. "Even if you want to stay, we need your parents' permission. I can't make that decision."

Briar's lips quivered, and she looked like she was about to cry.

I quickly tried to comfort her.

Brett tugged at my sleeve. "Mom, why don't we let Briar stay? I love playing with her. If she leaves, I'll have no one to play with."

I patted Brett's head and patiently explained, "Briar has parents too. What would they do if they miss her?"

"Would you want to live with another family and not be with your mom and dad?"

Brett frowned, thinking for a long time before shaking his head. "No, I want to stay with you, Mom."

He then turned to Briar, trying to console her like a little adult. "Briar, you should go back. You can come play with us again during the next break, okay?"

"Your parents probably miss you already."

Watching him comfort the crying Briar made me smile.

Just then, Briar suddenly looked at me and asked, "Ms. Sharp, is Grandma dead?"

Brett was also taken aback. I met their gazes for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, Grandma passed away. She went to heaven. If you miss her, you can look up at the stars."

But Brett interjected, "How is that possible? When people die, they're just gone. They don't turn into stars."

I shot Brett a look, signaling him to stop talking. We didn't want to upset Briar.

But Briar shook her head, her expression unusually mature for her age. "Ms. Sharp, you don't need to comfort me. Grandma didn't like me. She thought I was an alien."

"She didn't like my dad either, so I'm not sad."

Seeing her so accustomed to this, I couldn't help but sigh. She must have endured a lot to speak so calmly about it.

Feeling even more protective of Briar, I asked, "Who told you Grandma died? Your dad or your mom?"

To my surprise, Briar shook her head. "Neither."

I was stunned, remembering the smiley face on her phone.

Briar had no reason to lie to me. If she said it wasn't her parents, then it wasn't. So who was it?

Could the smiley face be someone other than Renee?

I frowned and exchanged a glance with Savannah.

Last night, Savannah and I had left a mark nearby. If anyone came back, we would know.

When we checked the desolate yard, the mark was gone, indicating someone had returned.

I told Savannah, "Maybe those people are using the phone to contact Briar. If they haven't left, they might still be instructing her to do things. We need to keep a close eye on her."

Savannah nodded. "Got it."

"Also, let's install surveillance in this yard. Make sure it's hidden. I want to see who these frequent visitors are."

"They've been bold enough to come back even after we discovered them. There must be something important keeping them here."

Savannah nodded again. After we left, she arranged for someone to install the surveillance.

The person Savannah found was efficient, quickly setting up the cameras.

Now, we just had to wait.

That night, I sneaked into Briar's room to check her phone.

All the videos and photos had been deleted, and the chat with that contact had been pushed down.

I couldn't tell if she did it on purpose or if someone instructed her.

As I put the phone down and turned around, Brett was standing right next to me.

He looked at me with curious eyes, as if asking what I was doing.

I quickly took his hand and led him out, telling him to be quiet.

"Mom, what were you doing by Briar's bed?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, just checking something. Don't tell Briar, okay?"

Brett frowned. "Mom, you shouldn't be looking at Briar's phone. That's not right."

Seeing his serious little face, I couldn't help but smile and ruffle his hair.

"You're right, but I'm worried about Briar."

"Worried?"

He looked at me curiously.

"Briar might be in danger, so I need to check to make sure she's safe. Do you think I would harm Briar?"

Brett thought for a long time before shaking his head. "No, you treat Briar even better than me."

I nodded. "Exactly. So can you trust me?"

"I need you to do something important for Briar's safety."

Hearing that I had a task for him, Brett's eyes lit up. "Mom, tell me!"

"Ask Briar about the smiley face on her phone. Make sure to ask quietly, so she doesn't know it's me who wants to know."

Brett nodded.

I continued, "Also, keep an eye on Briar. Has she been acting strange lately? Is she on her phone a lot?"

Brett frowned, thinking for a while before nodding. "Yes, and she took pictures of our house, saying she wanted to show them to her dad."

I nodded. "Alright, just remember your task. Go to bed now, and don't let Briar know."

Brett nodded, smiling at me. "Don't worry, I won't let you down."

I couldn't help but smile and gave him a high-five. "Let's protect Briar together!"