“What is it?” Bianca felt a tight knot in her stomach.
“Marisa’s son has been found, and they got Stacey’s fingerprints off him. That voice message was a confession. The evidence is solid now. Stacey’s been arrested; she won’t get away this time.”
“Really?” Bianca straightened up with excitement. “They found the boy? Where was he? How is he?”
Leonel sighed heavily, his voice filled with anger. “He didn’t make it. They found his body in a river, far from Edenfield. The police say he suffocated. I never imagined Stacey could be so heartless, not even sparing a three-year-old.”
Bianca felt a deep sadness.
“By the way, Bianc, the police said they need you to confirm the statement and asked when you’re available.”
Bianca was surprised. If the police needed her, she should go right away. Did they really need to check her schedule first?
Without thinking much, she said, “I’ll go now.”
She got up and dressed quickly. As she left the bedroom, she saw Dave coming out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.
He looked her up and down and asked, “Are you going out?”
Bianca nodded. “I need to go to the police station with my brother to confirm my statement.”
“Wait, I’ll come with you.”
Dave went back to his room and came out dressed in a sharp white shirt and black suit pants. His polished look surprised Bianca a bit.
“What’s wrong? Let’s get going,” he said, tapping her forehead lightly with a smile.
They headed to the police station together.
When they arrived, Leonel, who had been waiting, quickly came over. He gently put his hand on Bianca’s shoulder and scanned her carefully.
Once he saw she was okay, he let out a relieved sigh.
“Thank goodness you’re okay.”
Bianca smiled at Leonel. At that moment, the police chief, Samuel Garcia, appeared.
“Nice to meet you, Chief Garcia,” Leonel said as he turned to greet Samuel.
Realizing that this might be the police chief, Bianca quickly introduced herself. “Hello, Mr. Garcia. I’m Bianca Scott.”
Samuel looked at Bianca and then noticed a striking man standing beside her. The man’s intense gaze made Samuel uneasy, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew him from somewhere.
Despite his simple clothes, the man had an air of authority and dignity. With his experience, Samuel was good at recognizing people.
The night before, one of Dave’s associates had asked Samuel to pay special attention to Bianca’s case. The associate also mentioned that the police had become a bit lax recently, and Samuel had received some quiet warnings.
Dave rarely got involved in police matters. Samuel had previously been a regular officer who worked on the case involving Dave’s parents. Samuel suspected the car accident was intentional, but pressure from higher-ups led to the case being closed as an accident.
Back then, Samuel was a passionate and determined young man who couldn’t ignore the injustice. Feeling guilty, he approached ten-year-old Dave with his suspicions and evidence, hoping that one day, Dave could overturn the verdict for his parents.
This shared sense of injustice created a bond between Samuel and Dave. Years later, as Dave rose to power in the Evans Group, he earned a reputation for his tough business tactics.
Meanwhile, Samuel worked his way up and eventually became the police chief. There were rumors that Dave had a hand in Samuel’s promotion. Given Samuel’s humble beginnings and lack of connections, it seemed unlikely he would have reached such a high position without some help.
Samuel remembered well the promise made by the ten-year-old Dave: “I’ll find a way to repay your kindness in the future.”
The man before him now seemed familiar, and Samuel guessed he might be the influential grandson of the Evans family, leading the Phoenix Alliance Group.
As a clever professional, Samuel quickly turned to Bianca with a warm smile. “Miss Scott, I’m sorry for calling you in on short notice. We need you here in person to confirm a few details.”
Bianca looked at the police chief with confusion, wondering why he was showing her such respect.
“This is what I should do,” Bianca said.
Samuel nodded with a smile and then turned to Dave. “And who might this be?”
Bianca introduced him, “This is my boyfriend. He’s here with me.”
Leonel glanced at Dave. His earlier indifference was due to his mother’s disapproval of Bianca being with him.
Samuel then looked at Dave and gave a respectful nod. “Sir, you seem familiar. May I ask your name?”
Dave gave a subtle smile and looked at Samuel.
After a moment, Dave said slowly, “You can call me Evans.”
Samuel’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly masked it with a smile.
“Oh, Mr. Evans,” Samuel said, his smile growing wider.
Puzzled, Bianca turned to Samuel and asked, “You know him?”
Samuel looked at Bianca and said, “I don’t really know him. He seemed familiar at first, but when I learned his last name, I realized I was mistaken.”
Samuel watched Dave from the corner of his eye as he talked and noticed Dave’s smile widen. This reassured Samuel that he hadn’t misspoken.
Dave had kept a low profile, likely preferring to stay out of the spotlight.
Dave seemed interested in seeing how things were run at the station under Samuel’s leadership.
“Miss Scott, please follow me,” Samuel said politely, leading her to his office to take her statement.
After giving her statement, Bianca said to Samuel, “Mr. Garcia, I have a somewhat bold request.”
“Go ahead; feel free to ask,” Samuel replied.
Bianca hesitated before saying, “I’d like to meet Stacey.”
Samuel was unsure. Regulations typically prevented a plaintiff from seeing a suspect during detention, especially since Bianca was also part of Stacey’s family.
“If it’s not possible, I understand,” Bianca added, sensing the difficulty of her request.
Samuel glanced at Dave, who gave a subtle nod of approval.
Smiling, Samuel said, “Since you’ve asked, we can arrange that.”
Bianca was a bit surprised. She had always felt a special kindness from Samuel, but she couldn’t quite understand why.
Samuel then directed his team to bring Stacey to the interrogation room and escorted Bianca to the doorway. Noting Dave’s signal, he whispered to a nearby officer to accompany Bianca inside.
Samuel then led Dave and Leonel to the reception area, ensuring they were taken care of.
Leonel, noticing the subtle exchange between Samuel and Dave, felt a bit puzzled.
After Samuel left, Leonel, sipping his tea, asked Dave, “Do you know the police chief?”