"Mom!!"
Phaedra York let out an instinctive and miserable scream as the phone in her hand flew from her grasp in terror.
Scarlett Jennings, having anticipated the chaos, swiftly raised her hand to catch the flying phone.
As she caught it, her fingers gently brushed against it.
In one fluid motion, she wiped the Shadow Energy lingering on the phone away.
The crowd, however, had been thoroughly startled by Phaedra York’s reaction.
That shrill scream of hers was so loud, no exaggeration, the neighboring building probably heard it.
"What’s going on? What’s in the phone?" Someone leaned over with curiosity, craning their neck for a look.
Scarlett Jennings held out the phone directly.
But no one dared to take it. Who knew if Phaedra York had just seen a ghost inside that phone?
They were curious, sure, but they were also afraid of seeing ghosts!
Alicia Sharp, seeing how calmly Scarlett Jennings reacted, took the phone without hesitation. She glanced at the screen and found it was just a regular livestream interface. Slightly disappointed, she remarked,
"It’s just a normal livestream page. There’s nothing on it."
Seeing her holding the phone, Phaedra York sprang backward like a startled cartoon character, shouting,
"There’s a ghost! There’s a ghost in that phone! I saw it just now! Throw it away, quick!"
She gestured toward the railing of the Aerial Garden, suggesting Alicia throw the phone over the edge.
Alicia Sharp rolled her eyes at him and retorted,
"Throwing objects from high places? Do you want to hurt someone? I have no desire to go to jail."
Instead, she calmly placed the phone on the nearby table and promptly closed the livestream interface.
Phaedra York stared at the phone on the table, still spooked beyond reason. Facade and pride abandoned, he quickly turned his panicked gaze toward Scarlett Jennings,
"Scarlett Jennings, gorgeous Master Jennings, how do I fix this?!"
Scarlett Jennings glanced at him briefly and extended her palm casually, "Fork over the fortune-telling fee, thirty thousand bucks."
Thirty thousand bucks wasn’t much to this crowd of elites. No one thought Scarlett was trying to exploit anyone here, and Phaedra York agreed without hesitation, intending to use his phone to transfer the money.
But remembering what had just transpired with the phone, he quickly pulled his hand back and turned to Alicia Sharp,
"Alicia, you pay her first on my behalf, and I’ll reimburse you later."
Alicia Sharp didn’t mind, but Scarlett Jennings shook her head,
"The fee has to come from you personally."
She explained that transferring money via the phone wouldn’t cause any issues. But Phaedra York flatly refused to touch the phone again. Ultimately, Alicia Sharp had someone fetch thirty thousand in cash from downstairs.
As long as the cash passed through Phaedra York’s hands before being handed to her, it was acceptable.
Scarlett Jennings received the thirty thousand dollars in cash and then said,
"You offended an ancestral spirit. They’re just trying to teach you a lesson, not actually harm you. Go back home, prepare sacrificial offerings, kneel before your ancestor three times sincerely, and apologize—then everything will be fine."
Learning all he needed was a heartfelt apology and some kneeling, Phaedra York didn’t dare remain stubborn and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
The phone, however, he swore off for good.
And the livestream page? He wouldn’t dare open it again in his life.
Because of Phaedra’s ear-piercing scream earlier, their group had become the center of attention.
Curious onlookers gathered around upon learning Scarlett Jennings was fortune-telling, though many hesitated to ask for a reading in fear of being exposed or humiliated like Phaedra York.
One woman, who was good friends with Alicia Sharp, spoke up. She was dressed in a strikingly handsome prince-themed outfit and said,
"Scarlett, I’m Selene Wright from the Wright Family. Could you help me locate my missing ring?"
Upon hearing this request, Alicia Sharp couldn’t help but say,
"It’s just a ring, though. Do you really need Scarlett’s help to find it? Are you messing with her on purpose?"
Since Alicia Sharp, the host of the party, was also heading out, leaving wouldn’t be considered impolite.
Before long, a sizeable group had gathered.
A simple search for a ring suddenly turned into an impromptu treasure hunt.
Everyone crowded the elevators. Scarlett casually announced the floor number,
"29th floor."
Hearing "29," everyone’s expression turned subtly odd.
This building’s 30th floor and above were part of the hotel, while the 29th housed the hotel’s restaurant. Additionally, per hotel policy, the restaurant exclusively catered to hotel guests.
The Aerial Garden—which they were currently in—was far more exclusive; only VIP customers could reserve it, and regular guests wouldn’t have access to that level.
Considering the separate elevator systems, Selene Wright’s ring couldn’t have been taken into the hotel during a recent stay, could it?
Selene herself furrowed her brows in confusion. She hadn’t stayed at the hotel recently.
"Let’s go."
Selene strode into the elevator.
Others followed suit, splitting across two adjacent elevators, descending en masse to the hotel restaurant.
Their outfits tonight were extravagant costumes, each meticulously styled, so when this group arrived en masse at the restaurant entrance, the staff—and particularly the service attendants—were visibly startled.
Fortunately, the restaurant manager kept his composure, already aware that the Sharp Family heiress had reserved the upper-level venue for her party, which would be attended by the wealthy elite.
While the restaurant officially didn’t serve non-guest patrons from outside the hotel, these individuals were VIPs of VIPs. The manager wasn’t about to deny them entry.
"Miss Sharp, is something wrong? Was there any issue with our service upstairs?"
The manager recognized Alicia Sharp immediately despite her bold makeover.
Alicia didn’t beat around the bush and stated, "We’re here to look for something."
"More precisely, to locate the person who has what we’re looking for," Scarlett added while pointing at a man hurriedly dragging his female companion away.
"There," Scarlett continued, "that’s who we’re looking for."
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