Chapter 148 

Chapter 148 

I didn’t flinch when Kaiden took a step closer with that unreadable and dangerous expression of his. Instead, I held my phone up between us like a shield. 

“Look at the word choices,” I said, voice firm despite the tightness in my chest. “When Barbara posted anything as Queen Bee, she always used The Lucky Introvert‘ in her titles. Always. It’s her pattern.” 

Kaiden’s eyes flicked to the screen, but his face didn’t change. 

I kept going, fueled by the thread of doubt that had now fully unraveled into something solid. 

“She’s posted plenty of articles, Kaiden. Dozens. And yes–they always about me. Always centered around my drama. The Lucky Introvert’s drama. But this one?” I shook my phone slightly. “It’s not just about me. It drags Dan’s mayoral position through the mud–heavily. It’s personal. Too political. It reads like someone wanted to destroy him. Like someone who had serious beef with him. Also, she never referred to me as ‘Lucy H. Sterwalt.‘ But this guy did. I am gut sure that this isn’t Barbara’s doing.” 

I stepped toward Barbara’s slumped, bleeding form, ignoring the sting in my throat as I crouched beside her. Her body jerked slightly from pain, but she didn’t protest as I reached into the pocket of her pants and pulled out her phone. 

The password was surprisingly the same. 

I unlocked the screen and quickly navigated to Google Maps, opening the location history. After a few taps, I turned the phone around and showed it to Kaiden. 

“See?” I said, holding it closer so he could have a clear look. “She was out of West Sterlingo the entire time after she got bailed from prison, she hasn’t returned–not even once. Her phone never pinged in the city. Not until today, when you brought her back.” 

Kaiden stared at the screen for a few long seconds. His eyes moved over the map, the lines, the time stamps. But whatever I hoped to see in his expression–logic, realisation, and maybe even a little regret–never came. 

“That still proves nothing,” he said finally, his voice sharp and unmoved. “She could’ve tampered with the data.” 

I opened my mouth to argue, but before I could get a word out, Mom’s voice sliced through the air like a blade. 

“This is all your fault, Lucy,” she snapped, venom dripping from every word. “If you hadn’t forgiven her. If you hadn’t taken back the complaint–she would’ve stayed in jail and none of this would’ve happened.” 

I turned toward her, my patience unraveling. 

“I haven’t forgiven her yet.” I muttered looking at Barbara. “And… how many times do I have to say it, Mom?” I said, louder now as I looked at my mom. “This article was not written by Barbara.” 

“Then who wrote it?” she shot back, raising a brow, lips curled in challenge. “If not her, then who?” 

Kaiden spoke up again before I could answer. 

“I still think it’s her,” he said, his voice flat but resolute. “However…” His gaze flicked toward me. “I already told my guys to trace the article. They’re tracking the source–specifically the IP address–sol can get real proof and throw her back in jail for good.” He glanced down at his watch. “They’re supposed to report back by midnight. It’s almost time. Just six more minutes.” 

I nodded slowly. “Okay. Let’s wait six more minutes.” I crossed my arms, standing straighter. “And see who the real culprit is.” 

“Fine,” Mom muttered, mirroring my stance as she crossed her arms too. “Let’s do it.” 

So we waited. 

All three of us. 

1/3 

Chapter 148 

Sorry, including Barbara, all four of us. 

1988 

Six Minutes Later… 

Kaiden’s phone rang. 

Punctually at midnight. 

The sound sliced through the heavy silence like a knife. He pulled it from his pocket, tapped the green icon, and placed it on speaker for all of us to hear. 

“Did you get the information I asked for?” he asked, skipping any form of greeting. His tone was curt, focused, ready. 

“Yes,” came the voice on the other end–a man’s voice, low, but laced with hesitation. 

“Tell me the name,” Kaiden demanded, straight to the point. 

“Uh… mmm, how… how about I recheck everything and get back to you within an hour?” the voice replied, stammering like he was juggling fire with bare hands. 

Kaiden’s brows furrowed. “Why?” he asked sharply. “What’s wrong?” 

There was silence on the other end of the line. 

But not the kind that came from technical difficulty or hesitation over a minor error. No–this was something else. 

It was the kind of silence that screamed the heaviness of the truth. 

The kind that said, “I know something I shouldn’t, and I don’t want to be the one to say it.” 

It was like the man on the other end couldn’t lie… 

But he also couldn’t bring himself to speak the truth. 

Kaiden’s brows furrowed, and for a second, he didn’t move. But I could see it–the exact moment the realization began to settle into his bones. 

The name they had traced… 

It wasn’t the one he expected. 

It wasn’t the one he wanted. 

His jaw tightened. 

His throat bobbed with a hard swallow. 

And then–he closed his eyes and took a deep, grounding breath, as if bracing himself for a blow he knew was coming. 

“Tell. Me. The. Name,” he said again, slower this time, each word separated and sharp as steel. 

“Are you sure you wanna hear it?” the voice asked, hesitant–like he was offering a loaded gun and waiting for Kaiden to pull the trigger himself. 

“Tell me the damn fucking name!” he snapped his voice thunderous and raw, shaking the cold walls of the farmhouse. 

A beat passed. 

Then the truth came. 

2/3 

08:29 Tue, 1 Jul er 

Chapter 148 

Flat. Final. Fatal. 

“It’s Rubina,” the voice said. “Rubina Johns. Your best friend. And ex–girlfriend. The article was posted from her phone.* 

Silence crashed into the room, louder than any scream. 

Kaiden staggered back slightly, like the words had physically struck him. His hands fell limp by his sides, and for the first time that night, the rage on his face… cracked. 

“No way…” he muttered under his breath, eyes wide with disbelief. “No-” 

His anger collapsed into something far worse. 

The first stage of grief. 

Denial. 

To be continued…