True Tycoon Her Empire, Her Rules

Chapter 157

While the online community buzzed with anticipation for the police to trace down the mastermind, Winnie temporarily stepped away from the camera's gaze.

The audience saw her whisper something to Bagot at the door before she left the room, sans the camera crew.

She returned shortly after, her expression unchanged, and the viewers assumed she had simply taken a quick bathroom break. Mae, however, was beside herself with worry.

Knowing how to pinpoint the puppeteer behind the scenes was one thing, but the immediate concern was the cursed bracelet.

“Master Bryant, until we find the person behind this, am | stuck with this bracelet? Could it keep making me age?” Mae had been hiding her face, unwilling to let the camera capture her haggard and makeup-free appearance.

In reality, when everyone had rushed into the room at her scream, her ‘plain face‘ was already broadcast live to the world, with screenshots and captions now circulating online.

Winnie looked at her and casually asked, “Didn’t the show give you an amulet when your arrived?” Mae was momentarily taken aback, “Yes.”

“Just wear that, and you'll be fine.”

Winnie’s nonchalant advice struck Mae like a bolt of lightning. So easy?

The audience in front of the livestream recalled the amulet when Winnie mentioned it. “That’s right. Didn’t the last episode mention the production gave out amulets that could save lives?”

“| remember. Last episode my boy Kaney used that amulet to save Winnie’s foster mom. It was said to contain a Protection Charm drawn by a master, specifically for the guests.”

“Mae must have one, but why isn’t she using it?”

“She got one. The host gave it to her before checking into the B&B yesterday. All the other guests carry theirs, so why isn’t she wearing it?”

“If she isn’t going to wear it, can | have it? I'd pay good money.”

Even Mae's fans were frustrated-

“Didn't Mae put that Protection Charm on?”

“Mae, you're too careless. How come you're not wearing the Protection Charm?” Mae was oblivious to the viewers’ frustrations.

Before Winnie mentioned the amulet, she had completely forgotten about it.

“You mean if | wear that Protection Charm, the bracelet won't be able to affect me anymore?” Mae’s voice was weak, clearly shaken.

Winnie was also puzzled. She had quessed Mae might be hiding another bracelet but hadn't. explicitly asked her to hand it over, thinking she’d be safe with Protection Charm. It was a lesson to be learned.

Now, seeing Mae's reaction, it was clear she hadn’t been wearing the Charm.

The host couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s the life-saving amulet?”

He had one himself, a gift from Mr. Bally, and he always carried it with him. When he handed it to Mae the day before, he had emphasized that she should carry it at all times.

Mae’s eyes darted quiltily before pointing to a suitcase in the corner of the room.

“It's in the suitcase.”

Not just Winnie, but the other four guests looked at Mae as if she were a fool. After the first episode, they had seen the power of the Protection Charm firsthand, and now wouldn’t even shower without it in a waterproof bag on their person.

It was the greatest assurance given by the production team.

Who could have imagined that someone would toss their life-saving Charm aside? Didn’t she watch the previous episode before joining the show?

Of course, Mae had watched the show. After all, she agreed to come as a backup guest because of the huge viewership from the first episode.

But what she had watched was not the two—and—a-half-hour version provided by the production team, but a fan—edited, narrated version that lasted only ten minutes.

That version didn’t mention the life-saving amulet at all. So she had no idea about the Protection Charm drawn by a master that could save lives inside the bag.

Plus, she had heard the amulet was previously used by the convicted murderer Naylor. Although she didn’t say anything, once back in her room, she tossed the bag into the corner of her suitcase.

Now, hearing Winnie’s words, she was on the verge of tears. Without hesitation, she opened her suitcase and dug out the amulet in front of the camera.

The moment her fingers touched the bag, she felt the oppressive chill that seemed to envelop her dissipate, and she instantly felt a weight lifted off her shoulders.

In that instant, she knew the Protection Charm was indeed effective.

Realizing this, she wanted to cry even more. If only she had known earlier, would she still look so worn out today? It wasn’t until this moment that Mae truly regretted her actions.

She had joined a variety show in good health, and how had it come to this?

After Mae had carefully placed the Protection Charm on her person, the Emerald Bay police arrived with their team.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

A familiar face led the way.

Newman, having heard it was the Ghostly Guidance crew, personally made the trip.

He hadn't followed the live stream, but he had caught up on the playback during the drive over and was briefed on the situation.

“This show...” Newman wanted to say something, but the words failed him. In the end, he closed his mouth and turned to Mae to take care of her business.

Despite the air of superstition, after a previous near—miss with a car accident, he had become more open-minded about such matters.

The call-out was under the pretense of investigating a theft of ashes used to harm others.

Soon, the police had taken a sample from the Ruby Bracelet’s ashes and packed the bracelet into an evidence bag to be taken away.

The craftsmanship of the Ruby Bracelet was distinctive, and tracing the person behind it wouldn't be difficult.

But as the item was collected as evidence, Baily, responsible for the reception, made sure to remind the officers, “This Ruby Bracelet is a kind of talisman, it's already bonded with Mae. If you take it, it might just vanish into thin air.”

Baily’s words were a virtual echo of what Winnie had told them earlier, but that didn’t stop him from showing off in front of the cops.

The officers in charge of collecting evidence exchanged puzzled looks with Detective Newman. They’d heard about the Ruby Bracelet online, but they were still skeptical about the whole thing. Downstairs, the film crew was still shooting. They couldn’t get footage of the police

investigation on air, and they definitely couldn’t afford to cut the live feed like they did last time. That would be the end of their show.

So, now all the live stream viewers knew the police had arrived, and they were going nuts in the chat, gifting like crazy and demanding to join the cops on a live manhunt.

But the production crew wouldn’t film it. After recording Mae’s statement and collecting the evidence, Newman was ready to pull out.

Just as they were about to head downstairs, Winnie suddenly sidestepped the cameraman and came their way.