Chapter 93

Brandon's smile faltered for a second, but he quickly covered it up.

"Yeah, I heard about that. Scared you, huh, babe?"

He looked at me seriously. "How could that have anything to do with me? You know I always play by the rules, especially now. There's no way I'd pull something like that."

His expression seemed sincere, but Brandon was a pro at lying, so I stayed skeptical.

"Babe, I saw a guy in your hospital room earlier. Who was he?" Brandon asked cautiously.

I knew he meant Royce. The less I seemed to care, the better.

"Who are you talking about?" I pretended to think for a moment. "Oh, that guy? No idea. Kathy brought him."

Brandon looked at me and said, "But I heard he was the one who carried you out of the house."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I was freaked out after watching Elora's jump video, so I asked Kathy to come over. I knew you were busy today, so I didn't want to bother you."

"Kathy couldn't make it, so she sent her friend to keep me company."

I then looked at Brandon, feigning realization. "Are you suspicious of me?"

Brandon shook his head quickly. "No, I was just worried that guy might be dangerous."

"If you put it that way, I should thank him properly."

"No need. I've already asked Kathy to thank him for us. Now, tell me about what happened yesterday."

I smoothly changed the subject.

Luckily, this topic grabbed Brandon's interest, and he started talking excitedly.

"Let me tell you, yesterday the foreign company saw our assets and their eyes lit up. They all agreed to the partnership. I was hoping Francis would help with the introductions, but he barely had to say a word."

I couldn't help but laugh at his boasting. "Stop bragging."

He looked at me with wide eyes. "I'm not, babe. I'm telling you, our good days are just starting. Once we break into the overseas market, I'll probably have to travel there a lot. You'll need to take good care of yourself."

I nodded. "I know, babe. I won't add to your stress."

Brandon smiled slightly and said, "I have some follow-up work to handle at the office. I'll be going now."

He leaned in and kissed my forehead before leaving.

Once he was gone, I grabbed a few tissues and vigorously wiped the spot he kissed.

I've got him figured out now. If Brandon wants to play games, I'll play along.

Let's see who gets fooled in the end.

After Brandon left, Kathy came in. I asked her, "Where's Royce?"

Kathy clicked her tongue. "Royce just left, and you already miss him?"

I shook my head. "I haven't even thanked him yet. He practically saved my life."

Kathy plopped down on my hospital bed and took a bite of the apple beside her.

"Royce had to leave for something. I already thanked him for you, but he didn't seem too happy."

She gave me a mischievous look. "Maybe Royce wants you to thank him personally."

I couldn't help but push her. "Stop talking nonsense!"

"You're awake?"

At that moment, a voice came from the doorway.

Kathy and I turned to see Simon standing there, looking at us.

I knew Simon wouldn't show up without a reason, so he must have some news.

"Come on, what do you have for us?" I urged.

Simon chuckled. "How'd you know?"

Kathy rolled her eyes. "You usually vanish without a trace. You must have something important."

Simon nodded. "I do. I might have found out why Elora jumped."

I was taken aback and quickly urged him to continue.

Simon sat down in the chair opposite my bed. In the small space, he glanced outside and spoke in a low voice.

"Elora's autopsy report is out. They found a large amount of hallucinogens in her system."

"Hallucinogens?"

I was stunned. "So it wasn't because something happened to her child?"

Simon shook his head. "We can't be sure yet, but the hallucinogens are likely the reason she jumped."

He took out his phone and showed me a video. "I managed to get the rooftop footage of Elora's jump. Take a look."

He played the video for us.

Elora, in a white dress, walked stiffly from the rooftop stairs to the edge, like a lifeless zombie.

She stood on the edge of the rooftop wall and slowly turned around.

It might have been my imagination, but it seemed like she glanced at the camera.

Elora's eyes were vacant and eerie.

Then she spread her arms and fell backward without hesitation.

Kathy gasped in shock.

"She just died like that?"

Kathy's voice was shaky, but I understood her. Just a few hours ago, Elora was fine. What happened to her?

I looked at Simon. "Do you know who drugged her?"

Simon shook his head. "No, we're still investigating. Our people staked out Elora's villa and saw that she didn't leave after returning home. The next time she was seen was on the rooftop."

"She went there alone?"

Simon nodded.

I sighed. This was too much to process. "Did you find out where Elora's child is? Paula said Shirley took the child."

Simon nodded. "That's the second thing I wanted to tell you. Be careful with Paula."

I was taken aback. "Why?"

"I suspect she's either lying to you or hiding something."

"Since you told me about it, my people have been watching Shirley. There's no sign of her being connected to Jason. But that doesn't mean much, as Shirley wasn't a primary target before."

"Since you mentioned it, we've been watching Shirley 24/7, but she's done nothing suspicious."

"So I think Paula is either lying or hiding something."

I sighed deeply. "Why would she lie to me?"

Simon shook his head. "I don't know. We can only take it one step at a time. We need to gather as much information as possible to avoid being caught off guard."

I nodded and thanked Simon.

"Thank you. Without you, I'd still be in the dark. I might have ended up dead without knowing why."

Kathy patted my shoulder. "Don't say that. You're blessed. You've been through so much and come out fine. This time will be no different."

I nodded, hoping Kathy was right.