Chapter 1884

Fiona and the others caught up in no time. None of them were out of breath like Pearl-they were all in great shape.

"Just come clean, Pearl. We're not going to do anything to you," Fiona said, slowly closing the distance. She stopped about a meter away, leaned against the wall, and folded her arms. "Why did you spread those rumors about me online?"

Pearl didn't answer. She just kept swallowing hard, glancing nervously over her shoulder.

"Don't even think about it," Fiona said, her tone cool. "If a normal person fell from here, they'd break something for sure. And you? You've never had a rough day in your life. If you jump, you'll be lucky to survive."

Pearl's face went pale. She hesitated, biting her lip. "If I tell you the truth, will you let me go?"

Fiona shrugged. "Depends. If you just made up stories, maybe I'll only ask for compensation. I do love money. But if you're involved in what I'm investigating, then even my love for cash isn't going to help you. You'll still be in serious trouble. Letting you go? Not likely."

Given the slightest hope, no one wants to end up with broken bones.

Pearl's voice shook. "I know what you're after. I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have done it, or teamed up with Amy just because I was jealous. I can tell you this much: Amy's real name is Meiko Matsumoto. That's all I—"

A scream cut her off. The three of them turned just in time to see Pearl slip and tumble from the second floor, crashing down hard.

Thankfully, Tyler reacted fast. He lunged forward and grabbed Pearl's hand, white, she clung desperately to the railing. She hadn't fallen all the way down, but Tyler's eyes widened as he saw blood quickly soaking the back of her shirt.

Nash rushed over and pulled Pearl up. But as soon as she was safe, Pearl collapsed, unconscious. There was a knife stuck in her back, embroidered with a strange symbol.

Fiona immediately checked her pulse. Thank god-she was still alive.

She moved fast, pulling out her needles and giving Pearl emergency acupuncture. "We need to get her to the hospital and get that knife out. Once her wound heals, she'll be okay."

But as Fiona looked at the knife, she paused, lost in thought.

She remembered when she'd gone to Southeast Asia by herself. There'd been a similar knife in Jackson's back. She'd taken a picture to investigate later, but with everything that had happened since, she'd forgotten all about it.

"You two take her to the hospital. I need to run home and grab something," Fiona

said, already turning to leave. Tyler, carrying Pearl, hurried after her.

In the elevator, Fiona remembered Jasmine's death, and her face turned grim: She took a deep breath. "Once you get to the hospital, make sure someone stays with Pearkat all times. Even if she's in surgery, don't leave her alone for a second. Take these two silver needles. If you need to, use them to check for poison."

The elevator doors opened. The three of them rushed out, only to run straight into

Pearl's group of friends at the entrance, blocking their way.

"Who are you people?" one of the girls shouted, her eyes wide with fear as she

saw Pearl unconscious in Tyler's arms. She pointed at them, her voice shaking. "What did you do to her? Are you trying to kill her?"