Aug


    <b>Chapter </b><b>197 </b>


    ‘Tristan’s already less than 150 feet away. I can almost feel his eyes on me through the tinted window<i>. </i>Then, I remembered something Alvin once said: His parents never favored him and Philip, and they even used their birthdays for the bank password. Without hesitation, I decided to try entering thest three digits of their birthdays, but then I realized that might be too obvious.“‘


    33%


    Considering how much more favoritism Peter and Michelle seemed to show Alvin, I decided to input Alvin’s birthday first, followed by Philip’s. As I entered thest digit, my heart raced, my blood pressure surged, and it felt


    like my heart was lodged in my throat.’


    Tristan was now less than 30 feet away, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. My eyes were fixed on the


    screen.


    As the gray bar on the private route turned brighter, I saw the password had been entered correctly, revealing the facility’s name: Evergreen Rehabilitation Center. I recognized it immediately–one of the three rehabilitation centers I had been investigating.


    I had put so much effort into this, and now I had the answer. I sighed in relief and reached to close my search history just as Tristan opened the car door.


    His gaze locked on my hand before drifting to the screen. My hand was trembling, and I could feel sweat gathering on my back.


    “Zoe, what are you doing?” Tristan asked, a note of suspicion in his voice.


    I swallowed the nervousness in my throat. “I… I was just trying to y some music, but I don’t know how to work


    it.”


    Tristan’s gaze lingered on me, filled with skepticism. It was clear he didn’t believe me.


    I thought, ‘If I’m sick, how could I even think about listening to music? It doesn’t make sense! This lie is falling apart, but I’ve already said it. I have no choice but to keep going.‘


    “I feel terrible. I just spoke to a doctor friend of mine, and she rmended I listen to some calming music to help rx. She also wants me <i>to </i>get checked at the hospital; she suspects I might have acute gastritis or appendicitis.”


    I thought, ‘This lie doesn’t sit right with me. When did I be such a good liar? But I have no choice. I need to find out if Eliseo’s death was an ident.‘


    “Ah, I see,” Tristan said, handing me the medication he’d bought. “Let me take you to the hospital. What kind of music would you like? I’ll find something for you.”


    “Thanks, Tristan,” I muttered, epting the medication. Feeling guilty, I quickly tore open a pill and swallowed it without even taking a sip of water.


    I thought, ‘Taking medication like this isn’t ideal, but it’s just a stomach–protecting pill. It won’t kill me.‘


    ? ? 33%<b>L </b>


    “Zoe, here’s some water. You should drink it with your pill,” Tristan said, offering her a cup.


    I took the medicine and quickly swallowed a couple of gulps. The bitter taste spread across my tongue, seeping into my entire mouth.


    “You’re in pain, aren’t you? I can see the sweat on your forehead. Going to the hospital is the right thing to do,” Tristan said, eyeing me before quickly starting the car.


    I thought, ‘Only when the car stopped at the hospital did my heart, which had been racing from sneaking around, finally calm down.‘


    Tristan insisted on walking me in, worried that something might happen to me. I had no choice but to let him take me to the emergency room while I quickly messaged Jasmine to cover for me.


    I thought, ‘Thankfully, this time she didn’t have a surgery scheduled, so she arrived right away. She also helped me fend off Tristan, who seemed determined to stay with me the whole time.‘


    “I’m fine, Tristan. Please don’t tell Peter and Michelle,” I told Tristan as he was about to leave.


    He nodded in response, but I knew he would report back.


    Once Tristan was gone, Jasmine turned to me, her eyes sharp with suspicion. “Zoe, what’s going on?”


    I didn’t hide anything and told her everything. Her face became uncharacteristically serious. “Zoe, are you sure you want to dig into this? Have you thought this through?”


    “What do you mean?” I asked, confused.


    Jasmine didn’t answer immediately, but I realized what she was implying after a few seconds. “You’re worried that I might uncover something about Peter, aren’t you?”


    I thought, ‘Jasmine didn’t confirm or deny it, but her silence spoke volumes. My heart instantly sank. If Eliseo’s death is rted to Brannon, and Brannon became one of the Dolton Group’s major clients, could it be…? Suddenly,


    I felt a chill run through me, and I couldn’t think any further.‘


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