Chapter 176
My mom had a kind of weird look on her face as she said, “Exactly, you’re gonna be single forever, but my daughter is way too awesome to be single forever. I don’t buy this!”
I just chuckled and didn’t comment, feeling a bit bitter inside because I might indeed end up being single forever.
Even though I come from a decent family, the fact that I couldn’t have kids kept all the suitable guys away from me.
“Hey, where’s my phone? Suddenly, my mom patted her pockets and rummaged through her bag, realizing her phone was gone.
She slapped her forehead and said, “Darn it; I must’ve left it on the tarot card table Let me go get it.”
I stopped her and said, “I’ll do it. You’ve had a long walk, and you’re not in good shape”
I left my mom where she was and headed back to the psychic granny’s house alone to get the phone.
As soon as I got to the door, I heard the psychic granny’s voice, “Madam, don’t force it. You and him are not meant to be.”
I walked in and saw Bonnie standing there, gripping her tarot cards with her face full of defiance.
My mom’s phone was on the table. Thankfully, no one had taken it.
I walked over, picked up the phone, and said to the psychic granny, “Hi, this is my mom’s phone. I’ll take it.”
The psychic granny nodded.
Suddenly, Bonnie pointed at me and asked, “What about her?”
“Madam, that’s her private matter. We can’t disclose it.” The psychic granny replied calmly.
Bonnie seemed very resentful, probably because she found out that she and Neil were not meant to be, so she was in a bad mood
I was about to leave with the phone when Bonnie and Kate were also about to go.
They didn’t seem to care whether it would be awkward to walk with me. The two of them just silently followed behind me.
Until Bonnie got a phone call
*Really? Malinda, you’re amazing!” She seemed very happy. “Okay, when are you guys arriving? We can have dinner together on Louis.”
Malinda and Louis Aldridge?
I was surprised. If these two were together, Malinda really was amazing.
Meanwhile, Bonnie had found another reason to get close to Neil.
After the call, Bonnie’s mood seemed to improve. She said to Kate, “Kate, Malinda and Louis are finally together. They’re on a flight this afternoon, and
they’ll be here tonight”
“All right, let’s go pick them up and have dinner together,” Kate responded.
With that, they quickened their pace to leave.
I met up with my mom, and we chatted as we walked. Bailey was waiting for us.
By now, it was going to be nightfall by the time we got back to the city. No wonder Bonnie and the others were so rushed.
As soon as I got back to the city, I received a call from Stella.
“Rena, I need your help! Stella sounded panicked, “Do you remember Halley? Something’s happened to him!”
Of course, I remember him. He helped me write that article exposing Bonnie, and he helped me look into those pictures of me and Oscar hugging.
He didn’t charge me a dime, claiming to respect Stella and treating this as a favor between friends.
Plus, he used to post a lot of information about Neil, so he was used to it.
However, I had no contact with Halley for the past two years.
“What happened?” I asked.
“He heard that Neil’s father had an illegitimate child and published a news article without any evidence. Although he retracted it in time, it still caused some rumors. After Neil found out, Halley disappeared!”
Stella was angry and helpless as she said, “He’s willing to do anything for fame, but this isn’t entertainment news. How could he just write it?”
I was startled. Was the news I saw yesterday written by Halley?
He was really reckless, provoking Neil again and again, this time even daring to publicize Neil’s family affairs.
“Halley is a good friend of mine, and his mother came to me to help find him. Rena, Neil won’t answer our calls. Can you help contact him? If Halley is in his hands, can you tell him not to go too hard?” Stella asked.
My mom was listening to me on the phone, but she probably couldn’t hear what Stella was saying.
I answered succinctly. “Okay, don’t worry. I’ll give it a try.”
Halley helped me out, and now Stella is asking for my help. I can’t refuse.
“What happened? My mom asked sharply.
“No big deal, Stella’s friend disappeared suddenly. She hopes I can help find him, I replied calmly, trying not to let my mom see anything was amiss.
My mom looked worried, “Do you need my help?”
I shook my head, “No, Bailey, drop me off at the next intersection. Just take my mom home.”
“Rena, you..” My mom hesitated.
“Mom, it’s okay.” I reassured her, and as soon as Bailey stopped the car, I got out.
After Bailey drove off, I found a bench on the side of the road to sit down, then dialed Neil’s number, I didn’t really want to contact him, but things always
seemed to force me to.
The phone rang for a while, but no one answered.
Just as I was about to hang up, Neil’s voice came from the other end, “What’s up?”
“Neil, where are you?” I asked right away.
I’m at the office, what’s up?” He asked back.
I thought about my words and tried to keep my tone as soft as possible. “Um, do you know Halley? A reporter.”
There was a brief silence on Neil’s end, then he chuckled and said, “Yeah, I know him. You looking for him?”
“I heard from Stella that he accidentally offended you, and now he’s missing. Is he with you?” I asked.
“He’s not with me.” Neil’s tone was slightly cold.
Halley’s not with him? Then who’s he with? I was a bit puzzled. Neil wouldn’t lie to me; he’s the type to openly admit to anything he does.
I was a bit dazed, and Neil reminded me, “Halley’s been in the business for many years, and I’m not the only one he’s offended. Do you think I’m that bad? Just because of a piece of gossip news, I’d grab him and beat him up?”
Well, not really, or Halley would have been beaten to death by Neil a long time ago.
“Okay, got it.” I hung up after that.
I told Stella what Neil had said.
Over at Stella’s, I could hear the faint sound of a woman crying.
She quietly told me that Halley’s mom had found her house and had even knelt down on her floor asking for her help.
Stella was distressed, “How can I find Halley quickly? It takes time to find someone. I’m just worried that something bad might happen to him before
find him.”
I never thought being a journalist would be such a risky job. There seemed to be a high possibility of pissing people off.
“All right, I’ll help you look for him. We live in a society with laws, no one would dare to harm him easily. I’ll keep you updated about any news of him.” That’s all I could do.
“Okay, I’ve asked Mitch to look for Neil. Neil should have a way to solve this.” Stella replied.
I believed Neil would definitely have a way. As long as he was willing to help find Halley, he would be much faster than us.
The question was whether he was willing to help. After all, most of his past scandals were revealed by Halley.
