Casey was in the office, going through some paperwork when he saw the incoming call. He felt a bit puzzled but quickly answered, "Mom?"Abby's tone was much softer when speaking to Casey. "Casey, you're not too busy right now, are you?""I'm handling some documents, but it's not too hectic," Casey replied. "Is there something you need, Mom?"Abby then proceeded to complain tearfully to Casey about how Justin had defied her for Lindsay. However, knowing that the two brothers didn't get along well, she didn't ask her eldest son to deal with his younger brother.Casey was surprised after hearing the whole story.It looked like his brother hadn't just grown after Lindsay dumped him—he'd come out of it with a whole new level of clarity.He finally realized how shallow their mother's "love" was.Casey could only go along with Abby, saying, "Justin was really out of line. We'll talk to him properly when Dad gets back."Trying to get his mother to ease up on Justin was pointless—Casey had alre
Casey felt even more frustrated. Olivia was part of the Harper family yet his mother wanted to call them on Olivia’s behalf to take care of Olivia?This wasn’t helping; it was just going to make Grace more dissatisfied with Olivia.But instead of pointing this out, he agreed enthusiastically, "That’s right, the Harper family should take care of her. Mrs. Harper and you are close friends. If you call her, she’ll definitely listen, and Olivia will be grateful to you.”Hearing her son’s approval, Abby finally smiled. "Alright, I’ll do that."After hanging up, she actually went ahead and contacted Grace.She mentioned that Olivia had called her, explaining how Olivia was injured and all alone in the hospital, without anyone to care for her, and how pitiful she was.Abby even took the opportunity to badmouth Lindsay, implying that it was Lindsay’s fault that Olivia ended up this way.Grace already knew about the situation, but her understanding was that Olivia had cursed Lindsay, which bac
At that moment, Olivia suddenly felt a wave of regret. She shouldn't have called Abby. She couldn't help but blame Abby for being so foolish, only making things worse rather than helping. Because of her, Olivia’s luck had weakened even further.Olivia had no interest in continuing the conversation, so she made a few perfunctory comments before hanging up. She didn't dare to call Grace either. She knew her adoptive mother too well—Grace would be displeased that Abby had called to discuss taking care of her, and this would likely result in more resentment toward Olivia.But the thought of lying in the hospital all alone was unbearable. She had been pampered and cared for all her life, and now being by herself was too difficult to endure.Raymond and Alex treated her poorly, but she was sure her other brothers wouldn’t be the same.So, she called Edmund, but his phone was off.She guessed her eldest brother was probably in a meeting or something.As for Oliver, she skipped calling him
Brandon arrived in S Country a little after 8 p.m.He took a cab straight to the hospital. As he entered the room, he saw Olivia curled up in bed, looking pitiful. Her eyes were closed, but she was not sleeping peacefully. Her face was pale, and she murmured, “It wasn’t me, I really didn’t do it. Don’t leave, Ray. I didn’t do it, I didn’t, I didn’t… Alex, Ray, don’t abandon me, please…”Brandon approached, his heart heavy. He reached out, gently brushing Olivia's cheek. What horrors had she endured to be so tormented, even in her dreams, desperately pleading her innocence?As if sensing someone touching her, Olivia suddenly woke up with a scream, “Ah!”She opened her eyes to see Brandon, who had rushed over in a state of exhaustion.Tears streamed down her face. “Brandon, is that you?”Brandon quickly took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears. “It’s me, I’m here.”Olivia used her uninjured hand to prop herself up and threw herself into Brandon’s arms, “Brandon, you’re finally here.
Tracy abandoning their team for Lindsay had annoyed the three of them. Currently, Raymond was in Alex's room watching TV. Alex's phone rang.Seeing the caller ID, Alex said, "I bet it must be Brandon. He must have come."Raymond smiled. "Definitely, that guy always arrives so quickly."If there were no comparisons, heartache would cease to exist.Once, when Raymond had suffered a minor injury and landed in the hospital, he'd asked Brandon to bring him some essentials. Despite being in the same city, Brandon had dawdled until the following day to show up. Yet now, with oceans between them, he'd flown to Olivia's side without hesitation. It seemed that in Brandon's heart, his sister held a place his older brother couldn't hope to match.Raymond couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness at their shallow brotherhood as he silently grumbled.Meanwhile, Alex answered the call."Brandon, you're in Country S?"Brandon was in the hotel lobby. "I've arrived at your hotel. Which room are you
Raymond seethed with resentment—Brandon had no clue how easy it was to preach from the sidelines when he wasn't the one in the thick of it. As the sting of criticism gnawed at him, a sudden spark of inspiration flashed through his mind. He could kill two birds with one stone: not only could he teach Brandon a lesson, but he could also extricate himself from this whole mess.With a sly smile, Raymond said, "If you think you can do better, then go ahead! I'm just not as good at taking care of people as you are. There's one more episode left of this reality show, so why don't you take over next time?"He really didn't want to endure this anymore. Not only did he have to work hard to earn money, but the person he came to care for, Olivia, ended up getting him into trouble. On top of that, he had once again offended Lindsay.So, what was the point of asking his Oliver for a favor and joining this show in the first place? He must have been out of his mind.If Brandon was so capable, he coul
If Olivia decided not to participate, Raymond also planned to speak with the director about replacing her with another guest.Alex couldn't help but say, "Then I might as well slack off too."Without Raymond, facing Lindsay alone was awkward for him. Especially knowing Olivia wasn't as innocent and pure as she seemed, he felt guilty whenever he saw Lindsay.Raymond could now fully empathize with Alex's feelings.He patted Alex on the shoulder. "Let's just both slack off then, it might even save us from getting scolded.”Lindsay had already given him a harsh scolding during this episode alone.And even without watching, he could guess that his participation in this episode of the reality show had earned him plenty of criticism from the audience.Whether it was getting called out over Hector or questioning Lindsay without knowing the full story, he found himself under fire.He might have even lost some fans over it.This time, he truly ended up on the losing side, upsetting everyone and
Richard had just finished a meeting when his secretary informed him that his fourth son had gone sightseeing in the local area. He didn't suspect anything, knowing his son's restless nature. Shortly after, his phone rang with an unfamiliar domestic number. He picked it up and heard Alex's voice on the other end."Dad, are you free right now?" Richard was surprised. "Yes, I'm free. What's the matter?"Alex spoke with a tone of resignation, "Actually, there's a little issue. Well, Brandon just came to see Ray and me, asking us to help him take care of Via. But we're still live streaming our show, and there were some conflicts earlier, so it’s not really convenient for us to go. But Brandon kept insisting, so we had no choice but to turn to you."Then he deliberately added, "Didn’t you take Brandon on a work trip? How did he end up in Country S?"Richard's expression darkened instantly.He certainly hadn’t anticipated that Brandon’s so-called trip to relax would involve traveling all t
In the vibrant district of the historic town, the streets were lined with vintage boutiques and various artisan stalls. Lindsay's group visited the town’s administration office and rented a temporary booth.Alex and Justin eagerly borrowed a table and chairs, setting up the booth. Following Lindsay's instructions, they also bought a piece of white fabric and worked together to create a simple sign. The production team provided markers and other supplies.Lindsay glanced over at Benedict and said, "Benedict, I’ll let you handle writing the banner."She was eager to observe his writing and the energy he gave off while doing it.Benedict sighed inwardly—this girl was constantly trying to test him. After a moment’s thought, he nodded. "Alright, I’ll write it."He grabbed a marker, uncapped it, and wrote in bold letters across the white fabric: “Fortune Telling, Divination, and Tarot Readings.”Lindsay watched him closely, noticing the fluidity of his movements as he wrote, his posture exud
Justin added, "My mom’s been trying to get me to help Olivia and distance myself from Lindsay. She’s also said plenty of nasty things about Lindsay. This time, not only did I ignore her, but I even pushed back. It probably pissed her off, and now she’s taking it out on Lindsay."Alex, clearly upset, said, "You should talk to her and tell her to stop fixating on Lindsay. Lindsay hasn’t done anything to provoke her. It’s ridiculous."He was frustrated that Justin’s mom had been stirring up trouble, making Grace even more difficult to deal with.Justin nodded. "Alright, after the show is over, I’ll have a talk with her."He also felt his mom was acting out of line. Back when he liked Lindsay, her disapproval at least made sense. But now that Lindsay had kicked him to the curb, his mom’s continued obsession was baffling.Although they were speaking softly, Lindsay and Benedict, walking ahead, heard every word.Lindsay found the situation with Abby baffling as well. A woman who fawned over
After Lindsay left, the other guests quickly followed, leaving only Alex standing there awkwardly. He spoke briefly to the production staff, and they soon shifted the cameras away from that area. Alex then walked over to Grace, saying, "Mom, since Lindsay won’t lend it, let’s just drop it."Grace shot him a cold glare, her expression dark. "How can you be so heartless? The one lying in bed is your fourth brother. Are you hanging around Lindsay all the time just to learn how to be cold and ruthless?"Unable to contain her frustration toward Lindsay, Grace directed it at Alex instead.Alex sighed in exasperation. "Even if we need help, it has to be something she’s willing to do! We’ve wronged Lindsay enough as it is, so why do you keep trying to guilt-trip her? Brandon’s situation isn’t Lindsay’s fault. Why don’t you go find Olivia? She’s the one who caused all this, maybe she can fix it. After all, whoever’s behind her is no easy target."Right now, all Alex felt toward Lindsay was gui
Grace held back her anger and said, "It'll only take a few minutes. I have something important to discuss with you."Lindsay sat back down in her seat. "Fine, go ahead."The livestream was on, and Lindsay was fully aware of it—she was doing this on purpose.Grace was about to speak when her assistant whispered something in her ear. Her expression changed, and she subtly shifted her body to turn away from the camera.Then she looked at Lindsay. "Can we talk outside?"In her rush to find Lindsay, she had almost forgotten that this was a live-streamed variety show. She didn’t want to be on camera, much less discuss such personal matters in front of an audience.Lindsay, however, refused. "If it's important, say it here. If not, then don’t say anything."Grace’s expression darkened. "It’s because it’s important that we need to talk privately."She emphasized, "It’s not appropriate in front of the camera."Lindsay just smiled. "Unless it's something shady, what’s wrong with saying it on cam
Lindsay thought about it for a while and figured that if Grace was coming to find her, it was probably for Brandon. The only thing she could want would be the artifact in her possession.Alex saw her reply and couldn’t help but smile wryly. His sister was indeed sharp and saw right through it.He sent a voice message, repeating what the head of the Divination Association had told them. "Mom just wants to borrow the artifact from you to suppress Brandon’s condition."Lindsay replied, "Tell her not to waste her energy."Seeing that message, Alex knew right away that she wouldn’t lend it out. It didn’t surprise him—his sister could be ruthless when she wanted to be."We can’t convince her otherwise, not even Dad can stop her... sigh," Alex added. When their mom’s temper flared, she wouldn’t listen to anyone.Lindsay didn’t seem to care. "Then let her come. I’m not going to do her any favors."Alex recalled the conversation between their parents at the hospital and decided to warn her, "M
Recently, Grace had been spending more time with Abby, often meeting up for outings. Over time, Richard noticed that Grace's anger towards their biological daughter had deepened. Abby had always disliked Lindsay and showed more favoritism towards Olivia. She must have been stirring up trouble and egging Grace on whenever they met. With time, Grace was bound to be influenced.Grace, clearly annoyed, said, "You even want to control who I make friends with? Aren't you going too far? What's wrong with me getting along with Mrs. Ford and spending more time with her?"Richard felt cornered. "I just think there's something off about her. Her intentions in getting close to you don't seem good. That's why I'm trying to give you a heads-up."Grace didn't believe him at all. "I think you're overthinking it. We’ve always had a decent relationship. We’re just closer now, that’s all.""What do you men know about women’s matters? Don't interfere." She now had plenty to talk about with Abby. Jenny wa
Richard glanced at Grace with clear disapproval. “This whole mess was caused by Olivia and Brandon. What does any of it have to do with Lindsay?”He could tell that recent events, and the embarrassment caused by their sons, had left his wife feeling bitter. It seemed she had begun to project that frustration onto Lindsay, despite the situation having little to do with her.Grace crossed her arms defensively. “If it wasn’t for her ongoing fight with Olivia, Brandon wouldn’t have gotten involved. He’s her brother. Doesn’t she owe him some consideration now that he’s in this condition?”Richard frowned. “What exactly are you trying to say?”Valarie, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up, her displeasure clear. “I see it differently. It’s Olivia and your son who started the trouble, and all Lindsay did was defend herself. Are you really looking to embarrass yourselves even more?”Grace shifted uncomfortably, feeling the sting of her mother-in-law’s words. “I’m just thinking abou
Given the Harper family's persistence, there was no way the Divination Association could avoid a thorough investigation. Seeing that Randolph wouldn’t back down, the official left, courteously escorted out by Randolph, who, for the moment, had ceased his protests.Valarie carefully placed the multicolored stone inside a small protective pouch before securing it around Brandon's neck. Though he felt a slight relief after putting it on, the bad luck continued. As the official had warned, his misfortune was too severe for one artifact to fully contain.Randolph tried every connection he had, attempting to borrow a second artifact, but came up empty-handed. Time slipped by, and evening approached before they could find any further solutions.By the time Richard and Grace arrived at the hospital, they were met with the weary faces of their parents. Feeling guilty for everything his father had gone through, Richard bowed his head. "Dad, Mom, I'm so sorry you had to go through this today."
Hearing their words, the hope that had briefly flickered in Brandon’s eyes quickly faded, leaving him more devastated than before. "Grandfather, I know I was wrong," he muttered, finally realizing the truth. His foster sister had been nothing but trouble—far from trustworthy, she had been a constant source of harm. Meanwhile, his real sister, though harsh and distant, had proven to be far more reliable. Regret gnawed at him deeply.Randolph sighed, his voice heavy with disappointment. “Knowing you’re wrong doesn’t change anything. It’s too late now.”Turning back to the two mystics, Randolph asked, “If you can’t break the curse directly, could you at least help suppress his misfortune? Maybe with a protective charm or some kind of mystical object?”Despite his frustration with his grandson’s foolishness, he couldn’t just leave him to suffer.Both mystics exchanged uneasy glances. “We don’t have the ability to suppress his bad luck with charms.”“For something like that, you’d need t