Chapter 143

After Royce left, the dinner party quickly broke up. I said goodbye to Carl and headed home with Savannah and Brandon.

Once we got home, Brandon went straight to the study to take a call, while Savannah pulled me aside.

After making sure Eugene hadn't followed us, she whispered, "Ms. Sharp, something's happened to Karen."

I was shocked and looked at her in disbelief. "Karen? What happened to her?"

Savannah took out her phone and showed me a video of Karen being wheeled into the ICU.

Irene was standing behind, watching Karen without offering any help, her disdain clear.

I was stunned and asked, "What happened? How did she end up in the ICU in just one day?"

Savannah explained, "After that scare the other night, she's been having nightmares every day. Her mental state deteriorated, leading to a brain hemorrhage. Now she's in the ICU for treatment."

"I think Brandon's call was about this. Our people informed me around the same time Brandon got the news."

"I suspect Brandon will need to return to Skyview City soon to see his mom."

I nodded solemnly. "We planned to execute our plan after this vacation, but it looks like we'll need to move it up."

Savannah agreed. "Yes, we'll need to move it up. But don't worry, once we're in Skyview City, Brandon will be too preoccupied with his mom and our plan to keep up. It'll be easier for us to succeed."

I nodded, feeling reassured. "With you all, I have absolute confidence."

Sure enough, Brandon came out of the study looking very upset after his call.

I watched him sit on the couch and smoke, not approaching him.

Just then, Savannah told me someone was looking for me.

I glanced at Brandon, who didn't notice us, and followed Savannah outside.

To my surprise, Simon was waiting in the alley.

Kathy had mentioned Simon would come, but I hadn't seen him and thought she was mistaken. Turns out, she was right.

I asked him, "Where have you been these past few days?"

Simon hushed me and led us to a nearby hotel.

"This isn't the place to talk. Let's go."

He took us to a room upstairs, where Asher and Royce were chatting.

Simon brought us in.

Another person was there, focused on a computer, wearing thick glasses-clearly a tech expert.

Royce had mentioned something about coming here. I looked at them. "What are you doing?"

Simon said, "Remember the video I recorded of Karen and Brandon praying? I decided to post it online to pressure Brandon."

I nodded. I had thought of this before, but the timing hadn't been right, so the video was shelved.

"Now's the perfect time. Go ahead."

Royce asked, "Did you hear about Karen?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Savannah showed me the video. It looks serious."

Royce nodded. "Yeah, so Brandon will likely head back to Skyview City."

I nodded again.

Meanwhile, Simon and the tech guy started uploading the video.

The tech guy boosted the video's visibility, adding more clips of Karen's frightened, delirious state in bed. It quickly went viral.

The official report said Jason drowned, but Karen and Brandon's late-night visit to the beach, coupled with Karen's current state, sparked massive interest.

People love real-life horror stories.

The video exploded online, igniting widespread discussion. Everyone speculated about Jason's death and Karen's fear.

Reporters soon swarmed the hospital where Karen was admitted, trying to get interviews.

The hospital had to issue a statement saying Karen was in the ICU and not to disturb her.

This only fueled the public's excitement. If Karen was in the ICU, Jason's death must have been unjust, and he returned as a vengeful spirit.

Conspiracy theories flooded the internet, claiming Jason was murdered and returned to haunt Karen.

I found the idea laughable, but it was an effective way to spread rumors quickly.

Royce and Asher discussed their plans to return to Skyview City, while Simon and the tech guy managed the online narrative.

I ordered some fruit and food for them. "Take your time. Savannah and I need to go before Brandon gets suspicious."

They thanked me, and Savannah and I returned home. Fortunately, Brandon didn't ask where we had been; he was too overwhelmed by the online frenzy.

But Eugene did ask what we had been up to. I almost forgot we had a live-in spy.

I brushed him off and went to find Kathy.

Since coming to my house, Kathy had been relaxing, only coming out for meals and occasional chats.

I told her what I had been doing and Eugene's suspicious questioning.

Kathy nodded seriously. "We can't keep him around for long."

I agreed and shared my plan. "I intend to turn him. I have leverage over Eugene-he cares about Elora. If I use that, it shouldn't be too hard."

Kathy nodded. "But he's unreliable. Even if you turn him, he might betray us later."

"I know."

"If necessary, I'll personally send him to prison."