Everyone turned toward the voice, and Caitlin followed suit. She saw Xavi and Tyler pushing Sebastian toward them from the side.
“Is this really necessary? You’re going to take Caitlin in for questioning over such a small matter?” Sebastian confronted the officers.
Both officers recognized him and replied, “Mr. Vanderbilt, this is just standard procedure.”
“I don’t care about your procedures! But I absolutely cannot tolerate someone committing crimes under my nose!” Sebastian’s voice was icy, and with his sunglasses on, his stern features radiated an oppressive aura that made people wary.
Caitlin glanced at him. Since he was stepping up to help her, she’d wait and see how he would clear her name.
Yasmin quickly explained, “Sebastian, you don’t understand! Caitlin and you are divorced, and before she left, she stole the Vanderbilt family’s heirloom-an Imperial Green jade pendant. Now, not only has she stolen it, but she even destroyed it in public. Do you think she shouldn’t be taken in for questioning?”
Sebastian snorted coldly. “The fact that I’m divorced hasn’t been made public yet. How do you know about it? When did it become your place to interfere in our Vanderbilt family matters?”
Yasmin was rendered speechless, not knowing how to respond to this.
“Furthermore, the so-called heirloom hasn’t been stolen; it’s right here with me. Why should you take her in?” Sebastian added.
His words made everyone turn to look at him.
Grace and the others clearly didn’t believe him. “How is that possible?”
To shut them up, Sebastian took out the Imperial Green jade pendant.
“Open your eyes and look carefully. What is this?”
Grace, Hazel, and Yasmin were all stunned, exchanging bewildered glances.
Grace couldn’t wrap her head around it. “How could it be in your hands?”
“Is this my pendant? Let me check!” Grace grabbed it from him, examining it closely, squeezing it a few times, then confirming, “It really is the Vanderbilt family’s heirloom jade pendant!”
“It’s my pendant… but how did it end up with you?”
Sebastian replied calmly, “That’s something you should ask yourself. You were given such a valuable item by the old lady, yet you didn’t take care of it, and now you’re saying it was stolen? How do you know it wasn’t lost by you?”
Sebastian then addressed the police, “Officers, this pendant was actually found by my staff in the garden. There was no theft involved.”
The officers nodded, understanding the situation. “So it was all a misunderstanding. In that case, we’ll consider the report closed.”
Just as the police were about to leave, Sebastian stopped them. “Wait a minute, officers! Slander also comes with legal responsibility!”
He pointed at the group of women, “Look at these women-without verifying anything, they’re slandering Caitlin for stealing. Shouldn’t they be taken in for some education too?”
Grace and the others were furious. How could Sebastian turn the tables on them?
“I’m your elder, Sebastian! The item is lost; shouldn’t I be allowed to ask about it?” Grace snapped.
“You can ask, but slander is your fault! Officers, take them all in!” Sebastian retorted sharply.
Megan and Xylia, eager to distance themselves from the situation, raised their hands in protest. “This has nothing to do with us! We’re just here for the show!”
“Yes, yes, we’re just here to watch the fun!” The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo quickly tried to flee.
The police cooperated. “Sorry, you two, but please come with us.”
“Ugh… I can’t believe this…” Grace was nearly losing her mind. “This is just ridiculous!”
Yasmin, not willing to back down, angrily demanded, “Do you dare arrest me? Do you know who I am?”
“Who you are doesn’t matter. Please come with us now!” the officer responded, dragging her forward.
The officers recognized Yasmin, but their resolve was firm. If she didn’t comply, they would take further action.
Yasmin wasn’t about to go down quietly. “I’ll tell you! My brother is Felix! He’s your captain in the criminal investigation department! If you dare touch me, I’ll have him deal with you!”
The two officers exchanged looks, surprised by her audacity. She even mentioned Felix!
“Even if your brother is Felix, it won’t matter. If you break the law, you’ll still face the consequences,” one of the officers said firmly.
Felix’s sister was caught in the act, and the police officer grabbed Yasmin’s arm, pulling her away.
At this moment, Yasmin spotted her brother arriving and instantly looked like she had found a lifeline.
“Brother! Brother! You came just in time! They’re trying to arrest me! You have to save me!” she screamed.
Felix had indeed arrived with some colleagues. They saw the chaos unfolding at the entrance of The Vanderbilt Family.
“What’s going on?” Felix asked as he approached.
Seeing Caitlin, Sebastian, and the others gathered outside, with his sister screaming the loudest, he couldn’t help but frown.
“Felix, you came just in time. It’s like this…” one of the officers explained what had happened. Felix listened, then glanced coldly at Grace, Yasmin, and the others.
“This is unbelievable! How could you all do something like this? What you’re doing is not just slander-it’s blackmail!”
“You used a fake jade pendant and tried to frame Caitlin-what kind of behavior is this?” Felix’s authoritative tone left Grace and the others too stunned to speak.
“Yasmin, how many times have I told you? Don’t use my name as a shield! I’m just a criminal investigation team captain, I don’t have the power to cover for you! If anyone breaks the law, they must face the consequences!”
Felix scolded his sister for the first time, his face dark with disappointment.
The three women, hearing they might be detained for 24 hours, were utterly speechless, unable to protest.
Yasmin nearly wanted to vomit in frustration. Her own brother, the so-called “rescuer,” was so unyielding. Why couldn’t he help her out just this once?
At this moment, Sebastian spoke up, “Felix, thank you for upholding justice. But I’m curious-did you come here for something?”
Felix grinned. “Actually, I have something to give Caitlin!”
Sebastian was confused. “What do you mean, something to give?”
The three women, now being led away, overheard and were equally puzzled. “What do you mean Felix came to give Caitlin something? What’s going on?”
Yasmin and the others tried to stay near the door to hear more.
Felix turned to Caitlin and said, “Miss Caitlin, thank you for your brave actions yesterday. You provided key information that helped us capture the criminal behind the ‘6-12’ serial murders. Thanks to you, we were able to crack the case.”
“This is the reward from the police department for your help-one million. Please accept it!”
Felix handed Caitlin a long check made out for one million dollars.
Everyone was stunned by this revelation. Yasmin, Grace, and the others were speechless with shock.
What?
No one had known that Caitlin was the one who caught the murderer behind the ‘6-12’ serial killings. The murderer had killed four or five women and evaded capture for a long time. Who could have guessed that Caitlin was the one to catch him?
How was that even possible?
Even Sebastian and Xavi were stunned. They wanted to ask Caitlin what her background was. How could she have caught a serial killer?
Could it be that she left the art exhibition yesterday afternoon not to avoid them, but to hunt down the criminal?
Everyone’s jaws dropped to the floor. They couldn’t believe it and were all waiting for Caitlin’s response.