Chapter 40

Brandon's hidden meaning in his words was that I wouldn't get better and would never return to the company.

Of course, he thought I didn't catch on.

I appropriately threw a tantrum to make Brandon not suspicious of what I was doing.

And now I pretended to be appeased: "Really?"

Brandon nodded: "Of course, Caroline, I've been waiting for you to come back to the company. You don't know how tiring it is to do everything by myself."

He appropriately mentioned his difficulties.

I watched him act and then nodded: "Alright, I understand your difficulties."

Brandon then patted my head: "Caroline, you should sleep. If you need anything, just call me."

With that, he left the room.

After watching his back as he walked out, I waited for another half hour, then quietly opened the door to check.

After confirming that it was really quiet outside, I went to the bathroom and took out my phone to call Simon.

Sure enough, he wasn't asleep and quickly answered my call: "Hello, Caroline?"

"Yes, it's me. I want to ask you to look into someone named Asher."

Simon was silent for a moment and then said, "Asher is currently missing. To be honest, if the person I'm looking for is alive, I can find them, unless..."

He's already dead.

I immediately understood what Simon meant, and my hand went limp, causing the phone to drop to the ground.

"Caroline? What's going on?"

I quickly picked up the phone from the ground and said, "I'm fine, my hand just shook."

"Please, help me find out about Asher. He's very important to me."

"Asher and I grew up together. After graduation, he came to the company to help me. Without him, I couldn't have kept the company going after my dad passed away. He did me a great favor, so please, you must help me find him!"

Simon pondered for a moment and agreed: "Alright, but don't overthink it. If I can't find him, it might be because someone else has him locked up. He might still be alive."

"Okay."

I knew Simon was trying to comfort me, so I responded softly and then hung up the phone.

If Asher was really killed by them, I wouldn't know how to face Asher's parents. It was my fault; I shouldn't have dragged Asher into this, making him a target for Brandon and the Jordan family, those demons.

I suddenly felt nauseous and bent over the toilet to vomit.

But all I could throw up was some bile. I hadn't eaten much that night, so my stomach was empty and aching.

They say the stomach is an emotional organ. When I'm sad, it gets sad with me.

I weakly flushed the toilet and went back to bed, lying there with my mind racing about what to do.

Sometimes I feel powerless because I think I'm not facing a group of people but a pack of mindless beasts.

They open their foul-smelling mouths, showing their bloody fangs, looking for prey.

How can a person fight against these human-faced beasts?

I sighed and tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

At dawn, I got up early to prepare to take Brett to school.

Brandon also got up to go to work. Seeing the car keys in my hand, he reached out to take them.

"I'll take Brett. You should rest at home."

I reflexively stepped back and took Brett with me: "The company and Brett's school are in opposite directions. I'll go."

Now, just seeing Brandon's face fills me with fear, always feeling like there's nothing he wouldn't do!

Ignoring Brandon's strange look, I took Brett and left.

After successfully dropping him off at school, I breathed a sigh of relief. But I had another important task.

I went to Kathy's studio to find her.

She studied fashion design in college, and after graduation, Gerald invested in her to become the head of a high-end brand.

That's why Kathy was so angry about Brandon's family taking over our company. Gerald treated her like a daughter, and she wouldn't allow Brandon to do this.

Kathy's eyes lit up when she saw me: "What's going on with you today? You can go out?"

I slowly shook my head: "I just came out for a breath of fresh air and wanted to ask you for a favor. If I'm late getting back, Shirley will probably call Brandon to report."

Kathy's eyes were full of sympathy: "Tell me, I'll help with anything."

"Can you help me buy a mini camera? I discovered a secret about Shirley. She killed her previous employer's daughter, and I'm afraid she'll harm my children."

Kathy's eyes widened in shock. She knew this was important and quickly nodded: "Alright, don't worry. I'll buy it now, and you can pick it up tomorrow."

I nodded and thanked her: "Without you, I wouldn't know what to do now. Thank you so much, Kathy."

Kathy waved her hand: "It's nothing. With our relationship, you can come to me for anything."

I couldn't stay long, so after saying goodbye to Kathy, I drove back home.

Sure enough, Shirley was sitting in the living room. Seeing me return, she casually asked, "Mrs. Jordan, why did you take so long?"

I knew that wherever I drove, they would know, so I decided to tell the truth: "I went to see Kathy. I haven't seen her in days and missed her."

Hearing this, Shirley nodded: "Mrs. Jordan, maybe I should take Brett to school from now on. Your health is so poor, what if something happens?"

Of course, I wouldn't allow her to be alone with my children. Who knows what she might do?

I shook my head and refused: "I can still use this time to get some fresh air. Otherwise, staying at home all day is too stifling and not good for my recovery."

Hearing this, Shirley glanced at me with a meaningful look: "Mrs. Jordan, why do I feel like you look much better? You've even gained some weight."

I knew she was telling the truth, which was the result of my efforts over the past few days.

But I still shook my head: "You must be mistaken. I used to feel sleepy every day, but now I can't sleep at all. If anything, I'm just restless in bed and have to get up."

Shirley nodded and said nothing.

In the evening, after bringing Brett back, Brandon also returned, while Paula stayed at the company to work late.

After dinner, I went upstairs to watch Brett do his homework, leaving only Shirley and Brandon downstairs.

I had a feeling they might say something, so I waited until it was late and quiet, then prepared to go downstairs.

Just as I was about to take the recorder from under the coffee table, I heard a voice: "Mrs. Jordan, what are you doing?"

The living room lights came on, and I saw Paula, who had just returned home, looking at me.

I turned my hand towards the medical box under the coffee table: "My stomach is uncomfortable. The food I ate tonight didn't digest well, so I came to get some medicine."