Chapter 288

"I don't know either. Someone from your property management called me and told me to come over... When I got here, I saw the paint on the door."

Kelly shook her head and said, "Didn't you say you were gonna sell this place? Why are they still contacting us?"

I had thought about selling the house before because Brandon knew the address. He might come back to cause trouble every now and then. After he broke in last time, I really thought selling it would bring peace.

Who knew that before I could even put it on the market, someone else would come and cause trouble.

I felt overwhelmed. "Mom, I'm here. I'll talk to the property management. You should go home; the kids need someone to watch them."

"Why don't you call Royce to come over and stay with you?"

Kelly looked at me, clearly worried about me being alone.

I nodded and called Royce in front of Kelly.

Royce said he'd come over right away, which finally put Kelly at ease. She took a cab back home.

I asked Kelly to let me know when she got home safely.

Just the fact that Brandon was out had everyone on edge.

I made a sudden decision in my heart.

I had to resolve this quickly...

Otherwise, we'd be living in constant fear!

By the time Royce arrived, the workers had almost finished cleaning the paint off the door.

Seeing me standing at the door, Royce hurried over and put his arm around my shoulders. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic was terrible."

"It's okay. I appreciate you coming over so late."

Honestly, I didn't want to trouble him at first, but with my mom there, I couldn't just send her away. She'd definitely worry about my safety.

After thinking it over, calling Royce seemed like the best option.

Hearing my words, Royce frowned and pinched my nose. "Don't say that."

"I told you, no matter what happens, I'll come to be with you right away."

The workers finished cleaning, and I paid them before they left. Then I remembered to go with Royce to the property management office to check the surveillance footage.

But after looking for a while, the property manager said that there had been a temporary power outage for maintenance this afternoon, leaving a gap in the footage.

"How convenient," I said, frustrated.

Everything was just too coincidental!

The property manager waved his hand. "I know this might be inconvenient for you, but the notice was sent out a few days ago..."

"A few days ago?"

Royce and I exchanged a look, immediately realizing the seriousness of the situation.

A few days ago, Brandon hadn't even been released yet!

When this happened today, my first thought was that Brandon did it.

But now, if someone saw the notice and planned this knowing the cameras would be down, who could have helped Brandon arrange all this?

Royce pulled me closer. "Don't think too much about it. Let's file a report."

I nodded and went with him to the police station to give a statement.

The property management didn't expect something like this to happen in just half a day. They apologized repeatedly and promised to cooperate with the investigation.

The paint incident really got to me. On the way back, I told Royce, "I was planning to sell this house, but now with this happening, I doubt anyone would buy it."

"There's no rush to sell the house. Does Brandon know where you're living now?" Royce asked, clearly worried we might still be harassed.

I shook my head. "Brandon shouldn't know, but if someone is helping him, I can't be sure they don't know."

"They chose an empty house to make a statement. They probably won't come to your place for now. Not every neighborhood will have a power outage for maintenance," Royce reassured me, helping me relax a bit.

"So what do you think we should do now?" I realized I had become very dependent on Royce. At this moment, I didn't want to think. I just wanted to ask him what to do.

Royce looked at me. "You want to know what to do now? If it were up to me, I'd take you home, make sure you get a good night's sleep, and let your mom know everything's fine. As for the rest, I'll help you investigate."

Royce lowered his voice. "I'll arrange for someone to pick you up and drop you off at work for the next few days. Wherever you go, let my people know. And at home, whether it's your mom or the housekeeper... someone should always be around."

Hearing the seriousness in his voice, I sighed. "When will this ever end..."

I didn't want to live in fear forever.

Royce shook his head. "It'll be over soon."

Even though he said that, we both knew it was just to comfort me.

The next day, I decided to talk to Kathy about how to distract Joanna and tell her about the situation. But an unexpected visitor found me first.

Seeing Alfonso standing at the office entrance, I frowned. "What are you doing here?"

He had been trying to collaborate and bid on various projects, but I had already turned him down.

Alfonso walked over with a smile, and I instinctively took a step back. But this was a public place; he wouldn't do anything here. Thinking that, I forced myself to stay calm as Alfonso approached.

"Caroline, I'm not here to talk business today. I'm here to give you a heads-up."

A heads-up? Could it be about Brandon? I couldn't think of anything else he might want to warn me about.

I replied instinctively, "I don't need your heads-up."

"I think you do. I know Brandon is out, and he's probably done quite a bit to you already, hasn't he?"

Alfonso knew about this! My eyes widened, and Alfonso clearly noticed my reaction.

"Looks like I'm right. I'm just warning you, Brandon isn't as simple as he seems."

He really isn't, I thought to myself, keeping a straight face.

Alfonso seemed to be studying my expression. After a moment, he said, "I know you won't listen to me, but you need to stay alert. Brandon won't stop at just this. More will come."

I stayed silent. Just the texts and the paint were already too much. If there's more to come...

I frowned. "What's your angle in warning me about this?"

Alfonso smiled. "Me? I enjoy a good show. But as my business competitor, I don't want you to be distracted."