Chapter 123: An Explosion of Acting, Successfully Joined

Chapter 123: Chapter 123: An Explosion of Acting, Successfully Joined

’Lady, the excitement on your face is way too obvious...’

Zoe Sawyer was momentarily speechless, but fortunately, her face was covered in tears, so her true expression wasn’t too obvious at a glance.

"My boyfriend and I met online, and we only just met in person recently. My best friend said this is her hometown, so she came here with me.

I never expected them to actually hit it off. They started meeting up secretly behind my back, and I’ve already caught them kissing several times!" Zoe took a tissue from a bystander and continued her tearful accusation.

As Zoe Sawyer spun her tale, her boyfriend was transformed into a bisexual, two-timing scumbag who still carried a torch for an old flame.

The woman was getting ridiculously excited listening, practically wishing she had a bag of popcorn.

"So what’s the deal with your boyfriend’s old flame?" the woman couldn’t help but ask.

"His old flame was his childhood sweetheart. They grew up together, and he admitted he used to have feelings for her. But they ended up going to school in different places, so the whole thing just fizzled out." Zoe dabbed at her eyes, letting her talent for fabrication run wild as she continued to ramble.

She talked about how her boyfriend and best friend looked so pleasantly surprised when they first met.

And how she’d bought her boyfriend a car, only to find the passenger seat always filled with her best friend’s things.

And how her boyfriend also had a younger brother, but the brother was in love with him.

In short, Zoe Sawyer wove the story of the Keller brothers into her narrative, painting herself as a somewhat wealthy woman who was also an absolute, world-class fool for love.

The more she talked, the closer Zoe Sawyer could feel a heavy, cloying gaze, making her antsy. It felt as if it was right behind her.

Zoe Sawyer controlled the urge to look back and simply continued to cry while holding on to the woman.

"I loved him so much! I bought him whatever he wanted! Why would he still do this to me?" Zoe seemed to be reaching a breaking point, sobbing as she wiped at her endless tears.

Soon, the tissues weren’t enough. Zoe Sawyer started eyeing the woman’s sleeve, but before she could make a move, the woman quickly stuffed her hands into her pockets.

Vivian Dunn stood at the edge of the crowd, listening to the performance, and for a moment, she was utterly speechless.

Judging by the buzz it was creating, Zoe’s approach was indeed much better than simply causing a scene, but it came at the cost of Captain Keller’s reputation.

’Oh well, it’s not like she used his real name. It’s a small sacrifice for the mission!’

Vivian Dunn quickly reassured herself, took a deep breath, and, seeing her chance, squeezed into the crowd.

"What are you doing here?! I thought you were going to go confront that cheating pair! What are you still doing here?" As soon as Vivian Dunn appeared, she grabbed Zoe Sawyer’s hand and tried to pull her away.

In full view of the crowd, the two of them argued for a bit before Vivian Dunn sat down next to Zoe Sawyer with a look of utter defeat, as if beaten down by her friend’s love-obsessed ranting.

Enduring the sympathetic stares from the people around them, Vivian Dunn lowered her head, covered her face, and fought the urge to burst out laughing.

To the onlookers, her trembling shoulders looked like a sign of helpless frustration with her friend, and the looks they gave Vivian Dunn became even more sympathetic.

As time passed, the drama-sated onlookers gradually dispersed, until only Zoe Sawyer and Vivian Dunn remained beneath the statue.

Barry Quinn and Monkey, afraid of drawing too much attention, found another discreet corner with a view of Zoe Sawyer and continued their watch.

"Let’s go..." Seeing the sky darken with no sign of the target, Vivian Dunn stood up and prepared to pull Zoe Sawyer to her feet.

"Do you think... one of those ’little ghost’ charms... could help me win his heart back?" Zoe’s voice was eerie, making Vivian Dunn’s skin crawl.

But a second later, she realized—Zoe was still acting!

Thinking of Zoe’s unique sensitivity, a glimmer of hope sparked in Vivian Dunn. ’Could it be? Is the target nearby?’

To avoid blowing their cover, Vivian Dunn quickly played along. "What are you thinking?! That stuff is all a scam!"

"That’s right, raising little ghosts is a scam. But... I have a way to make your boyfriend come back to you." A woman with a gentle, kind face—the type that would easily make someone lower their guard—appeared before Zoe Sawyer and Vivian Dunn.

Vivian Dunn stepped in front of Zoe Sawyer, her eyes full of suspicion. "Who are you? Were you eavesdropping on us?"

The woman ignored Vivian Dunn, instead sitting down not far from Zoe Sawyer. Her voice was gentle, with a coaxing undertone. "What you said about raising little ghosts is a scam, but I have a way to make your wish come true. Would you like to try?"

"What way? As long as it works, I’ll agree to any condition!" Zoe Sawyer seized on the keywords, her head snapping up to look at the woman.

"God loves all. We at The All-Supreme Sect have wonderful relationship counselors and Hypnotists who can provide you with the utmost help. As long as you believe in our god, it will resolve all of its believers’ troubles," the woman said with an air of mystery.

"Isn’t that just a cult!" The words Vivian Dunn blurted out made the woman frown and shoot her a reproachful look.

"We are nothing like those fraudulent churches! We have plenty of success stories." The woman shot Vivian Dunn a glare, then began to tell Zoe Sawyer all about their successful cases.

For instance, after finding faith, a gambler who was millions in debt not only paid it all off within a month but also turned his life around, started raking in money hand over fist, and had already bought a house and car in a top-tier city with an eight-figure bank account.

’And then, after the third month, that gambler "repaid" the cult with double the money he’d earned. His debt even grew by another zero. Unable to pay it back, his family was destroyed, and he ended up jumping off a building.’

Then there was the unremarkable simp who, after finding faith, won the favor of the girl of his dreams overnight. They quickly fell in love, got married, had children, and were now living a happy family life.

’And then that poor simp ended up not only raising someone else’s kid but also "donated" a kidney. His other parts were even earmarked for the future before he had an "accidental" death on a beautiful, sunny day. His family got a huge compensation payout, and when he was sent for cremation, he was in pieces.’

For every story the woman told, Vivian Dunn mentally added the tragic follow-up of the poor souls who had been targeted.

But to the character Zoe Sawyer was playing—a supreme fool for love, one who would even dabble in black magic to win back her scumbag boyfriend—these stories were extremely enticing.

After the woman finished speaking, Zoe grabbed her hand, her voice urgent. "If I join, can I really win my boyfriend’s heart back?"

"Of course." A smile played on the woman’s lips. ’A dumb fish with a bit of money has taken the bait.’

"Okay! I’m in!"

With a look of pleasant surprise on her face, Zoe Sawyer nodded eagerly while inwardly giving herself a thumbs-up. ’Success!’

Playing the part of the worried best friend, Vivian Dunn glanced at Zoe Sawyer, then at the woman. Finally, she gritted her teeth and stomped her foot.

"I’ll join too!"