IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU!” Zack’s voice boomed from the other end, it was filled with authority that Henry subconsciously trembled slightly. “If you ever say that again, I’ll make sure you never have the guts to freely walk in the street,” he said in a stern voice and ended the call. Henry wasn’t given the chance to complain further, he tossed his phone aside with a frown. He couldn’t believe his brother took the side of a woman. When did Zack Anderson ever bother about the female species? He only said she was a disgrace and the reply he got threw him off the roof. With nothing to do about the Anderson’s name being tarnished, he sat back to see if Ivy would be proven guilty.
Meanwhile, at the police station, Ivy’s lawyer arrived before the interrogation began.
“Where were you that day she was attacked?”
“In my room,” Ivy gave her truthful response.
“And the other attack?”
“In my room,” she repeated. All Ivy wanted was for the questioning to end because after answering the tons of questions, she prepared for Isabelle to get her share of humiliation. The police officer then brought out an iPad. “Take a look at this, this is the clear footage from the hotel’s hallway.”
Immediately, Joan heard the word ‘hallway’ she started fidgeting with her hands under the table.
“This was the day of the initial assault,” the police officer showed the trio the video. In the video, Joan was seen lashing out at Isabelle with Susan standing by her side.
Deep wrinkles were clearly seen on Susan’s face, not because of fear but disbelief at the sort of evidence from the police. “Wait, forward it backward,” the police officer did as she was told.
“This isn’t right,” even Ivy frowned at the footage.
The footage only captured Joan hitting Isabelle; it didn’t show how Isabelle pulled Susan’s hair. “She really got everything planned,” Ivy chuckled.
“Officer, this is a setup, someone must have tampered with this footage,” Susan explained. “Let me tell you what really happened that day. I bumped into her by accident, and she pulled my hair, refusing to let go. I struggled to break free before Joan came to my aid. She was only defending me. Joan even warned her but she played deaf ears. Even when Joan slapped her, she still tried to hurt us.”
“Are you saying everything you told me just now happened in the hallway?” The police officer asked incredulously. The hotel was very strict with their client’s privacy, so who would have seen the footage, let alone tampered with it before the police got their hands on it.
“Yes, I’m telling the truth,” Susan replied. Now she understood the severity of the situation. Who knows if all the evidence points towards them.
“I don’t believe that,” the police officer stated. “We are still investigating though.” Then he showed them another footage. “Mrs. Anderson, were you there around the vicinity where she was attacked?” It was a footage of Ivy in a pink dress strolling alone on the road. “This is outrageous,” Ivy commented.
“Were you there, yes or no,” he asked sternly.
“Believe it or not, that is not me,” Ivy responded. The stare she was getting from the police officer was annoying her. It seems they already viewed her as the culprit with the ready-made evidence they found.
“That’s not enough to prove she is the culprit, officer,” Ivy’s lawyer defended. He, too, was seeing the situation on a different level, if the police keep bringing out evidence of this category, Isabelle might as well succeed.
The police officer smirked and clicked another video. “Do you know this man?”
“Whoever that is, I don’t know him,” Ivy answered without seeing the video.
“Look at the video first,” he gave a warning with his voice, and Ivy had to cooperate. In the video, she saw herself in the restaurant where she went to meet producer Stephen. “He is the film’s producer.”
“Not him, look carefully.”
There she could finally see who the police officer was referring to. The man was sitting at the end of the restaurant; his face was clearly seen. He has brown hair and a mole close to his earlobe.
“I have never met him before.”
“Are you still going to deny that you haven’t met him when I show you the next video?” The police officer sneered, Ivy’s face remained emotionless gazing at him. “I don’t know him.”
He clicked on another video. “See for yourself. This man was captured on the footage; he might be the one hired for the assault.”
The same occurrence, the man sat beside Ivy at the hotel’s restaurant. “Officer, where is the man you are talking about?” Ivy’s lawyer asked. “Have you arrested him?”
The police officer sat back. “No, but we are on his tail.”
“This is obviously a setup, my client is innocent,” Ivy’s lawyer responded, “maybe if you found him, he might confess who hired him.”
“Isabelle claims Mrs. Anderson as the prime suspect, and we will do everything in our power to investigate the truth. We will not be lenient to injustice,” the police officer declared firmly. While Ivy smiled. “Remember what you just said, officer.”
“You can go.” The police officer gestured, Ivy stood up, same with Susan and Joan. “That damn woman, she really got all this planned; how did you even offend her,” Susan said. She never expected Isabelle to go to such an extent.
As they approached the exit, Joan saw what was waiting ahead. “Does this station have another way out?”
Susan frowned. “Why.”
Up ahead, they could see the same flock of reporters waiting for them. Ivy stepped out of the building to face the crowd; it was inevitable to escape from them since they were waylaid by the inquisitive reporters who would stop at nothing to get an interview.
“Make way, make way…” Susan yelled, but it was futile. They were still flocking in.
“Mrs. Anderson, answer the question. Are you the culprit?”
“Did you send thugs to kill Isabelle?”
That particular question annoyed Susan even more. “Let us pass!” Yet her words still hung in the air.
“Mrs. Anderson, were you trying to end her life.”
“Mrs. Anderson, is it true you are the assaulter.”
Ivy was being guided by Susan, Joan, and her lawyer, but it was still difficult to navigate her out of the crowd.
“Mrs. Anderson, answer the question!”
“Mrs. Anderson!”
Inwardly, Ivy was mad at the position she was placed in, though she was calm and all, she still hated to be treated like trash.
When it seemed there was no way to escape without satisfying the frenzied reporters, a loud boisterous voice yelled.
“MOVE!”