Leaving the police station, Corrine was quickly met by Matias, who said, “Miss Holland, Mr. Hopkins is ready for you in the car.” He intended to accompany her to the vehicle.
However, Wilbur quickly intercepted him.
“Matias, do you mind if I ask you something?”
“What’s your question?” Matias maintained his composure.
“There’s no conflict between us, so why instruct me to target Miss Holland personally?”
Matias looked bewildered. He had never given such an order regarding Corrine! His gaze instinctively shifted to Corrine.
With a subtle, knowing smile, she observed him intently. Feeling the intensity of her stare, Matias felt a coldness creep over him. He turned back to Wilbur and said, “I was merely helping you, Wilbur. It’s unfair to accuse me of such things!”
“You were the one who suggested I personally oversee Miss Holland’s case, weren’t you?” Wilbur’s face bore an innocent expression.
Caught between amusement and irritation, Matias clenched his teeth.
“Wilbur, when I suggested that you personally oversee this case, I meant that you should ensure Miss Holland’s safety at your place. There was no reason to target her specifically!”
Matias didn’t know whether to find Wilbur naively charming or maddeningly simple.
“Go ahead without me,” Corrine said, distracted by the image of Nate’s face, which made her unwilling to engage with their explanations.
Watching Corrine walk away, Matias turned to Wilbur with a grimace
“This puts me in a difficult position!” His hopes for a double bonus had just slipped away.
Wilbur responded with a cold laugh.
“It seems I’m the one who should be complaining!”
Just then, a disturbance broke out nearby. Matias and Wilbur looked at each other, quickly coming to a silent agreement, and hurried outside.
At the entrance of the police station, a group of journalists had assembled, their lenses aimed directly at Corrine. The faces of Matias and Wilbur instantly took on expressions of surprise. A bewildered Matias muttered, “What are these reporters doing here?” Wilbur shared his confusion.
Given that the investigation was ongoing and might link back to a smuggling operation from three years ago, the presence of the media could potentially tip off other suspects.
Wilbur strode forward, with Matias, thinking of potential promotions and salary bumps, close on his heels. Yet their presence only escalated the media’s excitement.
“Does this incident of alleged artifact trafficking tie back to the smuggling from three years ago?”
“Why is the suspect allowed to roam free while the investigation is ongoing?”
“There have been rumors of corruption within your police department. Are they-“
Wilbur, already struggling with public interactions and now under the media’s scrutiny, grew visibly more irate at their persistent questions. He shouted, “Enough with your baseless accusations! Keep it up, and you’ll find yourselves under interrogation!”
His words only fueled the reporters further.
“Does this mean you have a guilty conscience?”
“An officer threatening us? We’re going to file a report.”
Left without words, Wilbur froze, but Corrine quickly intervened, saying, “Where is the proof?”
She maintained her stance within the swarm of people, emanating a cool assurance and an intimidating presence that made the onlookers uneasy. Temporarily silenced, someone from the crowd eventually said, “Your illicit activities are now a trending video online. How can you deny that?”
“With all this evidence and the witnesses lined up against you, how can you possibly deny your crimes?”
“You have your connections; it’s clear why you stand here so confidently, as though you’re above it all!”
Corrine’s eyes swept coldly over the crowd, her subtle smile sending a chill through the air.
“Convicting me based on a video, you think you’re master detectives?” she scoffed with heavy sarcasm.
“We’re not detectives, but the evidence against you is undeniable!” a journalist retorted.
Corrine smiled dismissively and asked, “Were you personally present to see any of it?”
The journalist chimed in, “There’s a saying, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. If you’re really not involved, why are you even here?”
Corrine responded with a soft chuckle, “You do raise a valid point.”
Her ambiguous reply seemed to the crowd like a hidden confession
As journalists prepared their sensational headlines for the next day’s papers, Corrine cleverly flipped the narrative, saying, “Mr. Duffy, could you enlighten us on the legal consequences for defamation and slander?”
“What?” Wilbur was taken aback when Corrine suddenly addressed him, leaving him briefly disoriented.
As he locked eyes with Corrine’s composed stare, he swiftly recovered and responded with firmness, “The penalties could be severe-up to three years of imprisonment, detention, control, or the loss of certain rights.”
Upon hearing this, the expression of the reporter shifted dramatically.
The journalist wondered if this woman was out of her mind. She was seriously considering a defamation lawsuit! Did she fail to grasp the gravity of her predicament? How could she stand there with such defiance?
The media’s probing intensified for a moment.
“How can you claim innocence without showing us proof?”
“Why were you detained alongside the suspects if you’re innocent?”
With a small smile, Corrine replied, “Perhaps the motives of the person who tipped off the police deserve scrutiny.”
As the situation unfolded, the police officer named Jack rushed to the scene.
He surveyed the gathering briefly before pulling Wilbur aside and whispering, “Sir, the two suspects are ready to confess.”
“I’m on my way to see them,” Wilbur replied, preparing to depart.
However, Jack held onto his arm, casting a significant glance at Corrine.
“It appears Miss Holland should accompany us.”
“What are you implying?” Wilbur’s expression grew stern, his intense stare shifting to Jack.
Jack stammered, “The suspects claim that Miss Holland was… working with them.”
The moment the words were spoken, all eyes landed on Corrine, filled with ridicule and scorn, as if waiting to see how she would get out of this.
Corrine’s gaze hardened, a trace of coldness flashing in her eyes.
“Since I’m not going anywhere, let’s discuss this inside.”
As she walked past Matias, she murmured, “Send a message to your boss.”
“Why don’t you tell him directly?” Matias suggested, nodding subtly toward someone behind Corrine.
As she turned, Corrine spotted Nate walking toward her, clad in a sharp black suit.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.