Chapter 134

Mervin's sudden interruption had left Kathryn without a chance to exchange contact information with Kane. Yet, even if she had spoken up, it was unlikely that Kane would have obliged. The perfect excuse was at hand — no phones during filming.

It was just as well that Kathryn hadn’t asked. Had she done so in front of the live cameras, she would've been torn to shreds by Kane’s legion of female followers.

How dare she make a move on their idol after the bullying scandal? The audacity!

Winnie had been monitoring the situation with Kathryn but chose not to intervene, especially since the topic of Amulets always seemed to be a slippery slope. Just after Suzan had asked. Bailey to help get a protective charm, had it not been for Winnie’s prior instructions, her cover might have been completely blown by now.

Although the Hendersons' issue was unresolved, Winnie had given her final advice. It was now up to the family to decide. Yet, deep down, Winnie knew Barton would choose to abandon the mansion. The whole ordeal had become too public, involving not only the neighbors but also Barton’s business associates. Superstitions ran deep in business circles, and no one wanted the bad karma of dealing with a family living under the same roof as a ghost.

Despite today’s filming hiccups, Bagot was generally pleased. By lunchtime, the show had dominated social media trends, with Winnie at the heart of three of them. Even the show’s official Twitter account, opened just for Winnie, had gained nearly a million followers. Not that Winnie cared much for fame or planned on capitalizing on her sudden surge in popularity.

As Bagot was about to wrap up the shoot, a familiar sight made his heart sink — a police car was approaching. His hand froze mid-air as the rest of the crew tensed up. Memories of yesterday's live stream shutdown surfaced, and, now this new development seemed like an ominous déja vu.

The viewers, too, caught on to the situation, their comments flooding the chat with a mix of sympathy and dismay for the crew.

But to everyone’s surprise, the police stopped not at the show’s set but at the Hendersons’ doorstep, their business clearly with the family, not the Crew Quick as a flash, Bagot exchanged a knowing look with Bailey, then signaled the cameramen to keep rolling. This was too good — or too bad — to miss.

Barton and his family emerged at the gate, only to be greeted by the officers and the lingering crew. With a twitch in his forehead betraying his stress, Barton asked politely. “Officers, what brings you here?”

Without much preamble, the officers flashed their badges, their expressions grim. “Mr. and Mrs Henderson, we've received a report concerning your involvement in a baby kidnapping case from eighteen years ago. We need you to come to the station for questioning.”

The bombshell left everyone stunned.

Baby kidnapping? The respectable Hendersons implicated in such a crime?

The live stream chat exploded with speculation and outrage. Could the kidnapped baby be Winnie, the adopted daughter? The Hendersons' facade was crumbling, and the sympathy was quickly shifting to Winnie.

The Henderson family was led away as the chat overflowed with apologies to Winnie, regretting their hasty judgments. On-site, the crew turned to Winnie, who was as shocked as anyone else. She hadn’t foreseen this in her readings, and yet, with this revelation, many unresolved pieces of her past suddenly clicked into place.

As Quincy rushed after the police, Kathryn was left behind, her world spinning. Her mind raced to Winnie, and in a fit of rage, she snapped, pushing her wheelchair towards her.

“Did you do this? Did you call the police? How could you turn on Mom and Dad like this? They raised you, after all! Kathryn’s voice was shrill, but she was intercepted by the crew before she could reach Winnie. The drama of the Henderson household had spilled into reality, live for all to see.

Candace didn’t even wait for Winnie to speak for herself before she burst out, her voice dripping with disbelief, “Are you out of your mind? If Winnie wanted to call the cops, do you think she’d wait till now to do it? And another thing! If your folks are really guilty, that makes them kidnappers! Raising a child doesn’t just erase the crime of stealing them in the first place!”

Her words echoed the silent thoughts of many in the room, especially Winnie, who looked as though she was just piecing the grim picture together herself.

Kathryn, on the receiving end of the scolding, played the victim, pointing an accusing finger at Winnie, demanding she take responsibility.

But Winnie wasn’t one to coddle anyone. She coolly retorted, “Instead of throwing a tantrum at me, you might want to think about what you’re going to do if Barton and Suzan’s charges stick. With those final words hanging in the air, Winnie dismissed Kathryn's meltdown, thanked the show’s crew and the guests, and headed straight for the sleek car sent by the Bryant family.

It was at this moment that the crew and guests took proper notice of the Bryant family’s ride-it was nothing short of impressive.

Remembering the generous tips the Bryant family had dished out earlier, everyone could hazard a guess about Winnie's current family situation.