“Captured?” Who has the audacity to capture Sophie?
“It was a group of uniformed men. I don't know where they came from or who they were.” Sandra was brimming with anxiety.
“All right, stop crying. Now that we already know, we'll definitely deal with it, so don't worry,” Felix comforted her.
Wiping her tears away, Sandra tried her best to calm herself down.
He's right. With Mr. Tristan around, Sophie will definitely be fine.
“Felix, find out where Sophie is right now.”
Tristan had been wondering why he couldn't get in touch with Sophie. Little did he expect something like that to have happened.
Without a moment's delay, Felix started tracking down Sophie's location.
In less than ten minutes, he finally received an answer.
“Ms. Quimby, you should head home first. There's nothing you can do now. We'll give you a call once we find Sophie. Don't worry. With us around, nothing will happen to her,” Felix said patiently.
Regardless, she was a friend of Sophie who cared a lot about her, so they still had to be cordial with her.
“Can I go with you?”
However, his reassurances failed to allay Sandra's concerns.
“No. You'll just get in our way,” Tristan rejected her request outright as he got into the car with no time to lose.
Felix simply shook his head in response.
“You should head back now. Be careful when you do so. Sophie will be fine.”
With that, Felix drove off together with Tristan.
Even though Sandra knew that the powerful Tristan would ensure Sophie's safety, she still couldn't stop herself from worrying.
Meanwhile, Sophie didn't give her captors anything incriminating despite the long interrogation. Due to her in-depth knowledge of Tanner Group's financials, they couldn't find any weaknesses in her testimony.
The members of the Department of Justice began to panic.
“What do we do now? We can't keep detaining her here. Without any evidence, we'll be forced to release her.”
“Although Tanner Group isn't particularly powerful, Sophie is Mr. Tristan's girlfriend. We'll all be doomed if he finds out about it.”
“But this isn't our fault. We're just carrying out our duty based on someone's report. Even Mr. Tristan can't get in the way of us doing our job.” The man who spoke was the one who had given Jennifer a call. He was a junior officer in the Department of Justice.
“You've been working in Jipsdale for such a long time. Why are you still so naive? Do you really think Tristan can't touch us? He's powerful enough to do anything he pleases.”
“Then what should we do? Are we going to let her off just like that? How are we going to answer the taxpayers?” the officer asked in an indignant tone. “Besides, didn't their finance manager confess already? What more do we need?”
“That's just based on the testimony of a single person. This case has plenty of holes inherently, and we still can't determine if Tanner Group is evading taxes. Do you really think this can be easily resolved?”
“Special situations require special measures,” the officer said brazenly, for that was in line with Jennifer's objective.
Regardless of the conclusion, Sophie had to be made to suffer.
“What are you babbling about? We live in a society where the rule of law applies. How can we resort to such unscrupulous methods?”
The junior officer snorted in response.
“You should get off that high horse of yours. Didn't the Department of Justice use all sorts of methods before this? Why are you making an exception for Sophie? Did she pay you off? Is that the reason for your cowardice?”
“Stop making wild accusations!”
“Why are you so worked up? I was just making a casual comment,” the officer said.
“Hmph! Do what you want with this case. I'm washing my hands of it,” the senior officer said angrily. During his long years of service in the Department of Justice, he had never accepted a bribe. The accusations outraged him. “We have been colleagues for such a long time. My advice to you is to know your limits. Otherwise, you'll bite off more than you can chew.”
Unfortunately, the junior officer refused to listen.
I obviously know who Mr. Tristan is, but Sophie is nothing but a toy of his. Why would he go against us over someone as unimportant as her? Besides, he hasn't even shown up after so long. If he really liked her, he would have already come.
That was the reason why the officer grew increasingly brazen.
After the senior officer left, the junior officer brought Sophie straight to the interrogation room where he sat down opposite her.
“Sophie Tanner, we already have the evidence in our hands, so I'd suggest you confess now. The earlier you do so, the less painful it is,” the junior officer said in a snarky tone.
Sophie scrutinized the man with her eyes narrowed.
“Are you threatening me?” Sophie's voice was cold and inexplicably intimidating.
“Sophie Tanner, since we have proof, nothing you say will help you. If you don't come to your senses, we'll have to—”
“What? Are you planning on torturing me?” Sophie's tone was nonchalant as ever.
She maintained that demeanor regardless of the situation she was facing.
“I guess Jennifer Whitley was the one who made the report.”
Having waited for such a long time, Sophie began to grow frustrated.
It's better to end this soon. Otherwise, the others are going to worry.
The junior officer was surprised that Sophie brought up that name.
“I cannot reveal who it was who reported you. What matters now is to get to the bottom of your case instead of digressing.” The junior officer spoke sternly, not giving Sophie any chance to defend herself.
“Let me tell you right now that Whitley Group was the one evading taxes, and I'm reporting them right this instant!” Sophie leaned back into her chair with a languid expression. “I have sufficient evidence in my hands. Anyway, it's about time you release me. You have detained me far longer than you're allowed to. I've no time for your games and I'm leaving now.”
Her words infuriated the junior officer.
“What are you trying to say? Since you're already here, there's no way you're going to leave easily. What do you think the Department of Justice is? A hotel?”
Sophie sprang up to her feet.
“Let me repeat myself. Since you have no evidence, you have no authority to detain me. If you insist on continuing this charade, then speak to my lawyer.” With that, Sophie walked toward the door.
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