Chapter 50 Leave Summit Ridge District
So, he clicked on the first video.
Michael watched Rachel handle those parents like a pro. When they questioned James's skills, she just had the boys compete, best two out of three.
Turns out, James had gone to Rachel that day because he wanted to try out but was too chicken to ask himself, so he got Rachel to help.
Michael frowned, a bit ticked off that Rachel went to the school to help James without telling him, but he kept watching the video.
"Come on, James. If you lose, you'll embarrass your brother," she said.
In the video, Rachel handed a towel to James and chatted with him for a bit. When she looked up at him, her gaze lingered on his face for over ten seconds. Since Joseph filmed from the side, Michael couldn't see her expression.
After that, Michael clicked on the next video. Rachel was cheering for James, speaking calmly, "If he wants to blame me, let him come to me. He needs to reflect on himself. Reflect on how to be a brother, know what kind of life James wants, and don't wait until something happens to regret it."
Michael was both angry and amused. He thought, 'She's helping my brother without asking me, and now she wants me to reflect? This is just ridiculous.'
In the big office, next to Michael, another guy wearing a baseball cap and David stood there.
The guy stood with his head down in front of the mahogany desk, shaking. He felt Michael's expression get more serious, and his body started trembling as he spoke softly, "Mr. Smith, that night, Miss Brown came to me first, asking me to place the recording pen in that room."
"I only took two hundred thousand dollars in total; all of it is on this card; I haven't touched a cent," the guy said, placing a bank card on the desk.
The guy had said a few sentences, but seeing Michael still silent, the pressure was almost too much to bear.
"Mr. Smith, I was wrong, please forgive me," the guy pleaded, his knees shaking, almost kneeling, "In the future, if Miss Brown asks me to do anything, I'll inform you immediately."
Michael moved his gaze from the phone to the guy. He asked, "How long is the total duration of the audio?"
When Joseph was erasing the surveillance, he said he saw a guy sneaking out of Rachel's private room that night. After checking the info, he found out it was a small-time reporter from a newspaper who took on these side gigs for extra cash. He suspected this reporter released the audio.
An hour ago, Michael had David contact the guy to come over. After entering the office, before Michael even asked, the reporter spilled everything.
The guy immediately replied, "Over forty minutes. I placed the recording pen in the room before anyone arrived, and the released audio was edited."
The guy quickly took out the recording pen from his bag and placed it on the desk. He added, "This is the recording pen. I swear, there are no backups."
Michael picked up the recording pen, his eyes dark and unreadable.
The car accident six years ago, along with the journalist incident, made Michael start to wonder: Was this gentle yet ruthless woman, who orchestrated a car crash to frame Rachel, really the same "Zoey" he had been writing to six years ago?
Through countless letters, he had learned all of "Zoey's" likes and dislikes. The girl on the other end of those letters was passionate, full of life, and they often shared the same thoughts. But since Mandy woke up, even though she was right beside him, they couldn't seem to connect. It felt like she was miles away.
Much later, Michael broke the recording pen, destroying the chip inside.
"I'll give you an hour to pack your things and leave Summit Ridge District." Michael tossed the items into the trash can, coldly saying, "After you leave, never come back to Summit Ridge District. If she asks, just say it was a job transfer, got it?"
The guy quickly said, "Yes, rest assured, I will never expose anything to Miss Brown." Realizing that Michael had spared him, he relaxed and quickly wanted to leave.
Just as he turned around, Michael called him back. Michael pointed to the card on the desk, his tone cold. "Take it."
"Thank you, Mr. Smith!" the guy repeatedly thanked Michael, grabbed the card, bowed to David, and quickly left the office.
David, who had been listening the whole time, stayed calm but sighed inwardly, 'Who would've thought that the seemingly gentle and kind Miss Brown would instruct someone to do such a thing? Ms. Williams is truly pitiful!'
After the guy completely left, David stepped forward to report to Michael, "Mr. Smith, we have tracked the whereabouts of the Blue Sky Ventures boss. He's at Yablue Resort."
Michael acknowledged, "I see. If there's nothing else, you may leave."
David added, "Mr. Smith, I went to the Brown family with you before. I saw that their stairs were covered with imported Persian carpets, very soft. The chandelier by the stairs is also very bright. You can see the steps clearly when going downstairs."
He meant that even if Mandy were blind, she wouldn't have missed a step on such stairs.
But Mandy did miss a step, hit her head on the handrail post, and bled a lot. It seemed quite unbelievable.
Michael didn't respond. Regarding Mandy's accidental fall, Michael had his suspicions too. But seeing Mandy lying in the hospital bed, pale and pitiful, he softened and didn't want to question her.
"I understand." Michael's voice was cold, "You may go."
David silently retreated.
Michael sat alone in the office for a long time, his gaze coldly fixed on the document about the Blue Sky Ventures boss's whereabouts, without making any moves.
Much later, he reached for his phone and sent a message to Rachel.
Inside the venue, James seized the opportunity to shoot, winning the game three to two. Outside, Rachel glanced at the parents' faces and said indifferently, "If your skills are lacking, just admit defeat. Don't think you're great and end up embarrassing yourself."
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