Chapter 65

After saying goodbye to Joanna, I headed home.

Brandon, always in the know about my whereabouts, kept sneaking glances at me, trying to figure out how my meeting with Joanna had gone.

I ate quietly, my face giving nothing away.

The more Brandon wanted to know, the more I shut him out.

Eventually, he couldn't hold back any longer and sat down beside me. "Caroline, how'd it go with Joanna today? What was her vibe?"

I was painting my nails, something I hadn't done since I got sick. Feeling relaxed today, I decided to bring out the nail polish and paint my toes.

"It went fine."

My vague response left Brandon even more confused. He wanted to ask directly but was afraid of making me angry, growing increasingly anxious.

"And about the dinner meeting..."

"Joanna said the guest list isn't finalized yet. We'll have to wait a bit longer."

Brandon finally couldn't contain himself and stood up. "What does she mean by that? The event's almost here, and she still hasn't decided on the attendees. Is she messing with me?"

I let out a cold laugh and gave Brandon a pointed look. "Why are you in such a hurry? Joanna's current attitude is because of what you did back then."

"The fact that Joanna hasn't outright rejected me means there's still hope. If you had really pissed her off that time, she wouldn't be in contact with me at all, understand?"

Brandon frowned, deep in thought. "So, the less news we have, the better the news?"

I nodded noncommittally. "Exactly."

"But..." Brandon still seemed hesitant.

I cut him off sharply. "No buts. Your most important task right now is to transfer the money back into the account. If even a cent is missing, you can forget about being the general manager."

At this, Brandon fell silent, knowing he was in the wrong.

"Alright, got it."

I lay back on the bed, and Brandon quickly sidled up to me, his hands roaming over my body.

I suppressed my disgust. "I'm really tired today."

Brandon chuckled. "I'll do the work. You just relax and enjoy."

I frowned, thinking of a way to reject him.

Just then, his leg brushed against me, and I felt the rough, bumpy texture of a scar.

I quickly got up and turned on the light, pulling down Brandon's pajama pants. His ankle was covered in noticeable red bumps, looking particularly nasty.

"What is this?" I asked, staring at the scars.

Brandon shrugged. "Probably an allergic reaction. It just appeared recently. I didn't think much of it. It'll go away in a few days."

"No way. What if it's an infection?"

I insisted on taking a photo of Brandon's leg. "I'll send this to the doctor to see if you need any medication. We can't delay treatment."

Seeing me busy, Brandon lost interest and soon fell asleep.

I took the opportunity to send the photo to Simon. "Can you check what kind of disease causes these symptoms?"

Simon quickly called me back. I glanced at the sleeping Brandon and went to the bathroom to answer.

His voice was serious. "Where did you take this photo?"

"On Brandon's leg. I suspect it's..."

Syphilis...

Sure enough, Simon confirmed my suspicion. "Yes, it's syphilis. Do not have sex with him. It's highly contagious!"

I took a deep breath. "Don't worry. Just the sight of him makes me sick..."

I never imagined Brandon would contract such a filthy disease.

I recalled the messages on his other WhatsApp account with various women. He must have caught it from one of them.

Luckily, it was a recent infection and had nothing to do with me.

For safety, I scheduled a full-body checkup for the next day.

In the morning, Brandon asked about his leg at the breakfast table.

I sipped my coffee, keeping a straight face. "The doctor said it looks like a severe allergic reaction from the photo."

Brandon was taken aback. "What should I do?"

"I'm taking Kathy to the hospital today. I'll pick up some medication for you."

Brandon nodded. "Thanks, honey. I'll drive you to the hospital later."

After breakfast, Brandon drove me and Brett separately.

At the hospital entrance, I watched Brandon's car drive away before Kathy emerged from behind a pillar.

"What's up? Why the sudden full-body checkup? Did Brandon drug you again?"

I shook my head. "I suspect Brandon has syphilis. Even though it's a recent infection, I want to be sure and get checked."

Kathy made a disgusted face. "That disgusting man. It's bad enough he sleeps around, but to drag you into it? Gross."

I felt nauseous too but kept my composure for the checkup.

While waiting for the results, Kathy looked at me worriedly. "You haven't slept with him recently, right?"

I shook my head. I hated him too much to even consider it.

Thankfully, the results showed I hadn't contracted any diseases. Brandon had caught it after I got sick.

Relieved, I went to the clinic to get some unrelated medication to give him.

Kathy also breathed a sigh of relief. "We should celebrate with a good meal."

I couldn't refuse her, so I messaged home, saying I'd eat out.

Kathy had reserved a table at a restaurant. We sat by the window and suddenly saw a familiar face outside.

Kathy nudged me. "Look who it is."

I looked and was surprised to see Elora.

I hadn't seen her since her miscarriage. Now, she looked lively and healthy.

"She recovered quickly from her miscarriage, didn't she?"

I shook my head, watching Elora.

"Is she waiting for someone? Could it be Brandon?"

"Probably not. If she were meeting Brandon, she'd go to her place. Why wait on the street?"