By afternoon, the news had already spread across the entire city like wildfire.
"Kevin Goodman's fiancée rushed to the hospital after a fire."
"Miss Gladstone remains unconscious."
At first, people only discussed the fire itself, but very quickly, the direction of the rumors changed.
The old stories surrounding the Goodman family began surfacing once again.
Especially the rumors about Kevin Goodman's curse.
Inside luxury tea houses, company lounges, and online discussions, countless people began talking about the matter.
"I heard the previous women connected to him all suffered accidents too."
"They said this bride nearly died only days before the engagement."
"Yes, the engagement party is in three days. I heard she went to try her wedding dress," someone with more information spoke up.
"So it is true? The curse is real?" another person asked quietly, sounding fearful.
"Could it be a coincidence?" someone asked doubtfully. After all, accidents happened all the time.
"What kind of coincidence could that be?" the well-informed man spoke up immediately. "First, she almost drowned on the day her wedding was announced. Now, while trying on a wedding dress, she almost got burned to death."
Hearing that, everyone felt fearful.
Nobody doubted the curse anymore.
It seemed they were all simply waiting to hear when the bride would die.
A few people were even looking forward to hearing more news. After all, the Goodman family had always been surrounded by mystery.
In one private gathering, a wealthy woman lowered her voice and whispered dramatically,
"The engagement party is in three days, right?"
The people around her nodded immediately.
She took a sip of tea before quietly saying,
"At this rate, who knows whether it will become an engagement banquet or a funeral ceremony?"
The room instantly became silent.
Although nobody openly agreed, no one dared deny it either.
Meanwhile, online discussions became even worse.
Many people pitied Loretta.
Some secretly mocked the situation.
Others became convinced that the Goodman family truly carried bad luck.
"The bride almost died before even marrying into the family."
"This is too terrifying."
"I heard she is still unconscious."
"Maybe the curse is real."
The rumors became more outrageous as they spread.
At the office, Andy stood beside Kevin while holding a tablet filled with news reports and online discussions.
His expression looked ugly.
"The news spread quickly," he reported quietly. "Someone may be deliberately pushing the rumors."
Kevin stood in front of the office window while looking at the city below. His gaze was unreadable.
Andy hesitated briefly before continuing.
"Many people are now saying the engagement party in three days may become a funeral."
The temperature in the room instantly dropped.
Kevin finally turned around slowly.
His gaze was frighteningly cold.
"How is the investigation going?" he asked.
Andy immediately lowered his head.
"There is no lead yet."
"By tomorrow morning," Kevin said coldly before turning back toward the window again.
Andy instantly felt his blood freeze.
It was a fire incident. Investigating it within a single day would be extremely difficult.
Yet Kevin had still given the order.
Just as Andy was about to leave, Kevin suddenly spoke again.
"How is she?"
"Still unconscious," Andy answered honestly.
Kevin frowned slightly after hearing that response.
The doctor had said that morning she would wake up soon, but it was already late afternoon and there was still no sign of movement.
Kevin said nothing more.
He simply nodded once.
Andy quietly bowed before leaving the office.
....
Meanwhile, inside the hospital, the atmosphere inside the intensive care unit had gradually become strange.
Loretta still had not regained consciousness.
Several doctors stood around her bed while carefully watching the monitors.
One of the older doctors frowned deeply.
"That is strange," he muttered.
Her oxygen levels had already stabilized.
Her breathing, although weak, was no longer worsening.
Even the lung inflammation caused by the smoke had begun responding to treatment.
Logically speaking, she should have shown signs of waking up already.
But she remained unconscious.
The younger doctor beside him looked at the latest test results nervously.
"Her heartbeat is becoming unstable again."
The older doctor's expression darkened slightly.
"Run another blood test."
"Again?" the nurse asked in surprise. They had already conducted several tests since morning.
"Now," the doctor said firmly.
The nurse immediately hurried away.
Inside the room, the machines continued making steady beeping sounds.
Loretta lay silently on the hospital bed.
Her pale face looked almost transparent under the white lights.
Not long after, the nurse returned hurriedly with fresh reports.
"Doctor…"
Something about her expression instantly made everyone uneasy.
The older doctor quickly took the documents.
As he read through the report, his expression changed dramatically.
"This…"
The younger doctor immediately moved closer.
A few seconds later, his face also turned pale.
"How is that possible?"
The room instantly became tense.
"What happened?" one of the nurses asked carefully.
The older doctor slowly lowered the report.
"There are toxic substances in her blood."
Everyone froze.
"Toxic substances?" the younger doctor repeated in disbelief.
The older doctor's expression became extremely serious.
"It is not from the fire."
The atmosphere inside the ICU instantly changed.
The doctor quickly looked back at Loretta lying unconscious on the bed.
Her condition suddenly made sense now.
The unstable heartbeat. The repeated critical episodes during the night.
The unusually prolonged unconscious state despite stabilized oxygen levels.
Someone had poisoned her.
The younger doctor lowered his voice instinctively.
"Could it be related to the smoke?"
The older doctor immediately shook his head.
"Maybe. But my guess is the toxin was already inside her body before the fire."
The nurse covered her mouth in shock.
"Then… someone deliberately poisoned her?"
Nobody answered immediately.
The older doctor took a deep breath before speaking firmly.
"Inform the hospital director immediately."
"And contact Mr. Goodman. This might no longer be just a medical case."
Two nurses immediately rushed out.
One went to inform the hospital director while the other quickly contacted Kevin Goodman.
Inside the ICU, the atmosphere became tense.
The Gladstone family had already left earlier that morning after the doctor confirmed Loretta's condition was stable.
Now, only the doctors and a nurse remained inside the room.
The older doctor quickly gave new instructions.
"Start another blood screening immediately."
"We need to identify the toxin completely."
The younger doctor nodded quickly.
Now that they had finally discovered the real cause, the treatment process became much easier.