Chapter 1584
Bethany rubbed her arms, a shiver running down her spine. “Ugh, Johnson, the way you just said it gives me goosebumps. Someone already lying in wait in the woods? That’s too creepy to imagine.”
Johnson’s face was grim. “If someone knew our movements in advance, an ambush isn’t entirely far-fetched. But I’ll admit, it’s a stretch.”
Catherine pressed her lips together for a moment before speaking. “Think about it—whoever planned this would’ve needed three things: to know Miss Sandoval…
“Would sneak out to the back mountain woods in the middle of the night, bribe a guard to notify the manager, and predict that Belinda would look for Faye alone. Miss one, and the whole thing falls apart.”
Faye quickly said, “No one bribed me. I ended up at the back mountain on my own. I just wanted to check out the view. No one told me to go there.”
Bethany waved off the concern. “We’re not blaming you, Faye. Catherine’s just saying that if this whole setup was real, it’d have to follow those exact steps. Which makes the odds… tiny. Like, next-to-impossible tiny.”
A beat of silence followed. Then Johnson turned to Belinda with a sudden, pointed question. “Belinda… do you have any suspects?”
All at once, three sets of eyes—Bethany’s, Catherine’s, and Faye’s—shifted toward Belinda.
“No.” Belinda responded with a shake of her head.
Despite her resolute denial, her gaze descended toward the sterile hospital floor as the words escaped her lips.
Bethany detected this deliberate avoidance of eye contact, and her own eyes flickered with curiosity.
“How could such a catastrophic incident happen so unexpectedly? The entire situation defies rational comprehension,” Bethany muttered, her brow creasing with deep concern.
“Precisely, who among us could have anticipated such a shocking turn of events?” Belinda responded, her countenance adopting a mask of solemn gravity.
After chatting for a while longer, Bethany suddenly glanced at Johnson, then at Faye, and finally gave Johnson a look.
Johnson immediately understood what she meant.
He said to Faye, “Faye, perhaps we should go consult with the physician and arrange another comprehensive examination of your injured foot.”
Johnson’s unexpected proposition caught Faye completely off guard.
She refrained from providing an immediate response. Her perceptive gaze traveled between Bethany and Belinda before settling on Johnson with a knowing smile. “Are you trying to get me to leave so the others can have a private chat?”
Both Johnson and Bethany felt resigned.
It appeared that Faye had already penetrated their transparent strategy. Why couldn’t she simply cooperate silently without vocalizing their obvious intentions? Her directness created an uncomfortable atmosphere for everyone involved.
Before Johnson could formulate a proper response, Bethany interjected with characteristic bluntness, “Exactly! We do have some private matters to discuss with Belinda. Faye, just leave with Johnson.”
Faye pouted. “Fine.”