But when she saw Sheldon's name pop up, her fingers instinctively tightened around her phone.

Should she tell Lyndon the truth about Sheldon?

At the hospital, in the emergency surgery department, Rita stood in the hallway with her phone pressed to her ear, listening to Rosie's panicked voice on the other end.

"Rita, where have you been all morning? Have you seen the news?! The incident where Corrine kicked us out of the restaurant yesterday has blown up, but she managed to twist the narrative with just a few words. Now people are lashing out at us—should we make a statement to gain some sympathy?"

Rita's eyes darkened slightly. "I saw the news," she said quickly. "Rosie, don't do anything right now, okay?"

"But I'm furious! I can handle a bit of injustice, but how could they treat you like this?!" Rosie fumed.

Rita silently cursed Rosie's stupidity but kept her tone soft. "Listen, you see how powerful they are. We can't win against them. If we keep pushing back, we'll only suffer more."

She softened her voice even further. "Promise me, Rosie. Forget about the news, okay? Do this for me. I don't have many friends, and if something happens to you, I would be really sad."

Rosie was an idiot, but she was still useful. And for her plan to succeed, Rita couldn't have Rosie acting recklessly.

Psychological warfare was the key-subtle, strategic. Not brute force.

There was silence on the other end. Then Rosie sighed. "Fine. I will follow your instructions. You wouldn't believe how fake these online friends are. One second,’ they're comforting me; the next, they're sending me hateful messages. It's insane!"

Rita rolled her eyes. She thought to herself, "That's because you're stupid. You deserve this, Rosie."

At that moment, the emergency room doors swung open.

Rita's attention snapped back to reality. "Alright, I have to go. We'll talk later."

She ended the call and hurried over. "Doctor, how is he?"

Casper emerged from the emergency room, his right arm wrapped in white gauze.

The doctor barely spared her a glance. "Just a minor skin injury. Nothing serious. Keep the wound dry and avoid water."

"Thank you, doctor," Rita said quickly. With a nod, the doctor left. Rita turned back to Casper, her face filled with guilt.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't expect to hit you while riding my bike at school. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Casper hesitated. Looking at her face—a face that held a subtle resemblance to his deceased sister—his expression softened.

"Don't blame yourself. I'm really fine. I didn't even need to come to the hospital."

"Thank you for being so understanding." Rita's voice carried genuine warmth as she offered a grateful smile.

"Let's go," Casper replied, his own smile mirroring hers. "Okay."

As they walked, they chatted.