Kael sat heavily on the stairs, his hands gripping the wooden railings.
Inside the grand bungalow, the forensic team finally packed up their equipment. The lead investigator walked over to Kael with a sigh.
"Sir, our work here is done," the investigator said. "You can live freely now."
With a brief nod, the man left the house with his crew.
Once the door closed, Kael slowly raised his head. His eyes were completely bloodshot, filled with a mixture of rage and exhaustion. He forced himself to stand up, but a sudden, sharp pain pierced his chest. Clutching his heart, his vision went black, and his body collapsed forward.
"Kael!" Sara cried out.
She rushed forward and caught him just before he hit the floor. Drakes quickly stepped in, lifting Kael easily and laying him down on the living room sofa.
"Call a doctor! Fast!" Renjiro shouted, already pulling out his phone to dial.
A few minutes later, the doctor arrived. He examined Kael thoroughly before turning to the worried group.
"He is under extreme emotional distress," the doctor explained, packing his tools. "He tried too hard to suppress his emotions. He was harboring an immense amount of anger, and his body simply couldn't take the pressure."
Everyone nodded silently, a heavy weight hanging in the air.
"Thank you, Doctor," Renjiro said. "We will take good care of him."
A few hours passed.
When Kael finally opened his eyes, he saw everyone standing around the living room, watching him anxiously. He sat up slowly, scratching his head in confusion.
"Am I alright?" Kael muttered, his voice raspy.
From the kitchen, Sara looked out. She was currently busy preparing some warm food for him to eat.
Kael leaned back against the sofa cushions, using his hands to support his weak upper body. He reached for his mobile phone, switched it on, and immediately looked up the internet. The local news was exploding.
Right at the top of the trending page, a headline glared back at him in big, bold letters:
[The Death of the Redgrave Couple]
Kael stared at the screen. Instead of crying, a cold, sharp smirk played on his lips.
He tossed the phone onto the table and looked up at his friends. "Now, I am perfectly alright. None of you need to worry about me anymore."
His eyes then drifted to a plastic bag sitting on the coffee table. Inside, he could see several bottles of pills. Kael frowned and looked over at Xiyan. "Are those mine?"
Xiyan nodded softly. "Yes. Those are all your medicines. You need to rest."
Kael shifted his position, resting his legs comfortably on the sofa. The weakness in his body was fading, replaced by a cold, calculating focus. He looked directly at Renjiro.
"Hey, listen," Kael said, his voice dropping to a serious tone. "I think I need to leak some fake news. We will announce that I have sold the Redgrave Group to the Vrenj Group. That is the only way my next plan can work."
Everyone in the room froze, turning their faces toward Kael in utter shock.
Before anyone could speak, Alex Vrenj walked into the living room with his arms crossed over his chest. "Hmm... Your plan is actually quite good. But how exactly do you want to execute it?"
Kael's eyes turned cold. "I will still act as the chairman, but I will wear a mask to hide my real identity. I don't want those greedy corporate vultures crawling back to me just yet."
Alex nodded thoughtfully. "Smart. But tell me... do you know who the killer is?"
Kael shook his head sideways, his expression darkening. He didn't have a clue yet.
"Alright then," Alex said with a firm nod. "I will back you up. I will help you spread this fake news."
"Wait, there is one major problem," Sara called out from the kitchen doorway.
Everyone turned to look at her in confusion.
"What kind of problem?" Kael asked.
Sara walked into the living room, her expression serious. "If the public finds out that you just spread fake news and you don't say anything to defend the company, the Redgrave Group shares will completely crash. People will lose all trust."
A heavy silence fell over the room. Kael and Alex looked at each other, falling into deep confusion. Sara was completely right.
Seeing their troubled faces, Sara broke the silence with a solution. "Listen to me. To make this believable and safe, you have to buy a major percentage of shares in the Redgrave Group, Uncle Alex."
Alex put a hand on his chin, contemplating the idea. "I think you are right. If my group officially holds major shares, the market will stay stable."
Kael nodded in agreement. "Then it is settled. From now on, Uncle Alex can also take part in making decisions for my company."
"Yes," Sara added, pointing a finger. "But only for stability. Not for major control."
Kael looked around the room at the people who had stood by him during his darkest hour. His voice became firm and authoritative.
"From this moment onward, the company will be run by me, Renjiro, and Uncle Alex. And Uncle Warner... you will take over as the General Manager."
Uncle Warner stared at Kael in utter disbelief. "What? But Kael... when did you even decide this?"
Kael looked at him with a sincere, grateful expression. "Just now. When everything fell apart, you and Uncle Alex were the ones who stayed by my side and helped me feel better. I know now who I can truly trust."
Suddenly, Alex's phone buzzed inside his pocket. He pulled it out and answered quickly. After listening for a few seconds, he turned to Kael with a serious expression.
"I need to head back to the company," Alex said, packing up his things. "There is an urgent meeting with some major customers."
Kael nodded understandingly. "Go ahead. Work comes first."
As Alex rushed out, Uncle Warner walked over. He looked at Kael with a sigh. "Kael, I have to leave for my job tomorrow as well."
"Alright, Uncle," Kael replied with a warm smile. "But you will come back to this place later, right?"
Uncle Warner nodded. "Yes, I will. But... can you really take care of yourself?"
Kael blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
"Can you even cook properly?" Uncle Warner asked, his eyes full of worry.
Kael laughed softly, feeling touched by the concern. "Don't worry, Uncle. My friends and I will take good care of ourselves."
Hearing this, Uncle Warner finally smiled. He said his goodbyes and left the bungalow with his family.
Kael walked over to the balcony. He leaned against the railing, watching Uncle Warner's family get into their car and drive away.
Soft footsteps sounded behind him. Sara walked up to his side and looked at him curiously.
"How did you come up with the idea of using fake news?" she asked.
Kael smiled faintly. "From Google."
Sara frowned, completely confused. "Google? How?"
"I was reading the news earlier," Kael explained, turning to face her. "I noticed how fast fake news spreads on social media. People love drama. Once a rumor starts, the targets are forced to defend themselves, even if they did nothing wrong."
Sara's eyes lit up as she caught on to his plan. A clever smile played on her lips.
"If that's the case, we shouldn't directly say you gave the company to them," Sara suggested, her voice dropping to a whisper. "That would be too obvious."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Just post some misleading images on social media," Sara said, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Don't explain anything. Let the public misunderstand it on their own. People always believe what they want to see."
Kael looked toward the dark city beyond the balcony.
"Then we'll make sure they see exactly what we want."