Chapter 8

Sirens wailed as two police cars sped toward them from the distant highway. Simultaneously, a puppy's bark and hurried footsteps approached from another direction. Gilmore saw Claire's dog, Snowball, racing toward them at full speed, followed by four or five imposing bodyguards.

Snowball, who had been with Claire earlier, had returned to the villa and summoned help. He had gone back alone, barked anxiously at the bodyguards, grabbed their trousers, and pulled them outside. They surmised something had happened to Claire. Therefore, they followed Snowball to find her.

Even from a dozen meters away, they pointed and shouted at Gilmore and Claire.

“Kid, put Miss Carter down!” “Stop your assault!”

They clearly mistook Gilmore for a villain.

Gilmore was speechless. Realizing her bodyguards' misunderstanding, Claire whispered urgently, “Put me down…” She was embarrassed to be held like that in front of them.

Though Gilmore enjoyed holding Claire and the scent of her perfume, the arriving police and bodyguards made it pointless to continue. He released her.

The bodyguards rushed forward, intending to apprehend Gilmore, the presumed “bad guy.”

Claire immediately intervened. “He’s not the bad guy. He saved me. Brandon is the one who tried to harm me.” She pointed to Brandon, groaning nearby.

The bodyguards finally understood their mistake and immediately subdued Brandon. He screamed in pain.

The two police cars arrived, disgorging seven or eight officers. A middle-aged officer led them. Seeing the bodyguards and captured Brandon, he asked, “What happened? Who called the police?”

“I did,” Gilmore replied, stepping forward.

“You reported a murder attempt. What happened?” The officer asked. Gilmore readily showed him the video of Brandon trying to kill Claire. After watching it, the officer’s expression turned serious. He instructed two officers, “Take the suspect into custody.”

“Yes, sir.” They handcuffed Brandon and escorted him to the police car.

Brandon shouted, “I’m innocent! I’m innocent…”

The middle-aged officer sneered, “The truth will come out at the station.” He then addressed Gilmore and Claire. “Please come to the station to give statements.”

Gilmore said, “Miss Carter’s foot is injured and needs treatment. May I go to the station first to give my statement?”

The officer glanced at Claire’s injured foot and nodded. “Two of my colleagues will stay and question Miss Carter.”

Claire nodded.

The officer, Gilmore, and other officers then left in a police car.

The siren wailed as the police car drove away. Claire watched it go. Gilmore’s concern for her injury lingered in her mind.

“Miss Carter, we’ll take you to the hospital!” an officer said.

Claire came to her senses and shook her head. “It’s not serious. Come to my villa. My private doctor can treat me.”

“Okay, we’ll go to your villa, Miss Carter.” The officer opened the back door for her.

With the other officer’s help, Claire entered the police car. The officers took the front seats, started the engine, and drove to Claire’s villa, followed by her bodyguards and Snowball.

About an hour later, Gilmore finished his statement and left the station. It was already 11:00 a.m., so he had lunch at a nearby bistro. Afterward, he returned to his hotel.

On the way, he passed a lottery store when he heard a buzzing sound in his ears. He stopped, wondering if something was wrong with his car. Then, a voice, like a TV game show host, echoed in his ears, “The winning numbers for Powerball lottery No. 20200 are 15, 25, 17, 19, 03, and the Powerball numbers are 02, 08…” This announcement repeated three times.

The numbers were etched in his mind. He looked at the lottery store, where several people were buying tickets. A large screen displayed the winning numbers for lottery No. 20199.

Gilmore froze. The numbers he’d heard were for lottery No. 20200, not 20199. Could they be the winning numbers for the next drawing? He realized he’d acquired a supernatural ability to foresee the future after taking the old man’s elixir. Predicting the next lottery numbers wasn’t surprising.

He entered the store and bought a 12X Play ticket with the next drawing's numbers. He checked the drawing schedule—Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. It was Friday; the results would be announced tomorrow.

He put the ticket in his wallet and returned to the hotel, deciding to stay another day to check the results before checking out and claiming his prize.

Sitting on the sofa, he browsed news headlines about the Carters and Wilsons:

“[The Carter Group announced it cut off chip supplies to Wilson Smartphones.]” “[Wilson Smartphones faces bankruptcy due to chip shortage.]” “[Brandon Wilson secretly met a woman in a hotel; Claire Carter announced their breakup.]” “[As retaliation for the supply cut-off, Brandon Wilson attempted to assassinate Claire Carter but was arrested.]” “[The Carter Group dispatched a legal team; Brandon Wilson faces likely conviction.]”

Gilmore smiled. Brandon, once a powerful man, was now a convicted murderer. The prestigious Wilson family was crumbling. No one knew Gilmore, with his supernatural powers, was the mastermind behind it all. Everything was under his control.