Chapter 746: Different

Chapter 746: Different

Royce furrowed his brow. "Judging by their expressions, it looks like they wanted more. Maybe they got kicked out."

"Doesn't seem likely," I said, thinking the organizers wouldn't be that rude. "I'll go ask."

I approached a kind-looking middle-aged woman.

"Weren't you all supposed to have him perform a few more times? Why is everyone out here?"

The woman glanced at me. "Didn't you leave first? The magician got a call and said he'd send us new invitations for a special performance later."

"Will those of us who left early get an invitation?" I squinted, pretending to be disappointed.

The woman frowned. "I don't know. Maybe you should ask them again?"

"Thanks, we'll do that." But I had no intention of going back. Who knows if they were waiting for us to return?

I pulled Royce away, realizing we hadn't seen Savannah and the others. But it was late, so I used Royce's phone to contact them and headed back to the apartment.

Once home, it hit me: the feeling was anticlimactic. We had been so on edge about this banquet, but nothing significant happened. Were we overestimating Red Spider Lily? Maybe they didn't have any ulterior motives?

I couldn't shake the image of that performance. In the middle of the club, with no visible aids, how did that masked man pull it off?

"Don't overthink it tonight. Get some rest. We'll look into it tomorrow," Royce said, ruffling my hair.

"Hopefully, I'll have a good dream tonight," I replied.

The next day, as we met up with Savannah and the others, a news report caught my eye. My blood ran cold.

The girl from last night’s performance had drowned on her way home. Could it be a coincidence? Did she know something?

I had thought she might be replaced, but now she was dead.

"Caroline, are you okay?" Savannah asked, concerned.

I snapped out of it and smiled. "Just spaced out for a moment."

"Don’t hide things from us. We're in this together," Isadora said softly.

She was right. There was no need to keep this from them.

"Did you see the news this morning?" I asked.

Royce nodded. "That girl was from last night's performance, right?"

"Yes. I don't believe in such coincidences. Her death must be intentional."

"But the official report says it was an accidental drowning, with witnesses," Joanna said, showing a video on her phone.

I frowned as I watched. The girl was on a video call, seemingly unaware she had reached the riverbank. She slipped and fell in.

From the footage, it did look like an accident.

"I still think there's something off," I said, handing the phone back.

"Did you guys make it into the banquet last night? I didn't see you," I asked, remembering.

"We did, but it must have been a different one," Savannah said seriously.

"A different one? Were there multiple banquets?" I asked, surprised.

"Didn't you notice the venue was smaller than expected?" Royce chimed in.

Thinking back, it was smaller, but still held a lot of people, so I hadn't paid much attention.

"The venue was divided into sections. Different times, different groups," Royce explained, showing me a layout.

The floor plan confirmed it. The venue was split into separate areas, not connected.

"So, you and Royce were in one banquet, and we were in another?" Joanna nodded, looking hesitant.

"Just say it," I encouraged her.

Joanna sighed. "We saw Renee at our banquet."

"That's not unusual. Did you see anyone else?"

"I'm not sure, but there was a man who looked a lot like your ex-husband. He didn't approach Renee, just stood in a corner. I tried to get a closer look, but he disappeared."

A chill ran through me. Could Brandon be out of prison? We hadn't heard anything. Could he have escaped or had someone take his place?

My mind was reeling, unable to process it all.

"Maybe I was mistaken. Don't worry," Joanna said, trying to reassure me.

But it wasn't about being mistaken. I suspected it was intentional.

"Did Renee say anything to you?" I asked, trying to stay calm.

Joanna frowned, recalling. "She talked a lot, but it felt meaningless."

"She seemed to be stalling," Kathy added.

Was that it? Either they missed Renee's point, or she was indeed stalling.