Joelle's heart skipped a beat when she spotted the officer heading her way.
"Joelle, we need you to come with us. You're needed for questioning in an assault investigation," the officer said, his tone unyielding.
Joelle's eyes widened in disbelief, and she took a couple of shaky steps back. "You've got the wrong person," she blurted out.
"No mistake here. Please, come with us for the investigation," the officer insisted.
Behind her, the classroom buzzed with whispers and wild guesses about the trouble Joelle might have landed in.
Joelle turned to shoot a sharp glare at Josefina before she reluctantly trailed behind the officer.
Damita, fuming, leaned over to Josefina, "Can you believe she had the gall to glare at you? If the cops are here for her, she must be up to no good. The police don't just show up for nothing!"
The classroom chatter continued until the teacher's arrival silenced everyone.
...
While buckling her seatbelt, Josefina's phone buzzed. It was Oliver.
"Did the cops show up?"
"Yeah, they did. Joelle's been taken in. She's always been all bark and no bite. A bit of grilling, and she'll spill the beans for sure."
That's why Josefina had no second thoughts about calling the police once she had the evidence in hand.
She started the car and drove off, oblivious to the eyes watching her leave.
...
Back at the fashion company, Josefina was knee-deep in preparations for the fashion show.
Alex presented a timeline that was spot-on, right down to the second for each segment.
Josefina nodded in approval. "This is top-notch work."
"All thanks to your guidance," Alex replied with a broad grin.
"Alex, you're getting quite smooth with your compliments."
"Ms. Josefina, I mean every word."
Josefina handed the timeline back to Alex. "Let's stick to this plan on show day."
Xavier, seated in a wheelchair, had a stormy look on his face.
Just then, Mandy, back in Westwood with her parents, spotted Xavier looking worse for wear.
Xavier opened his mouth to speak as Mandy walked by, hand in hand with her beaming parents, but she merely smiled and kept going.
Evan joked, "Mandy, remember when you had a thing for that guy?"
"Dad, don't twist the knife. I was young and clueless back then. I'm wiser now," Mandy retorted, a mix of pride and self-deprecation in her voice.
She couldn't fathom her past choices. What was she thinking?
Taking another quick glance at Xavier before turning away, Mandy clicked her tongue in disbelief.
How had she ever fallen for him?
Meanwhile, Xavier, watching Mandy's indifferent exit, simmered with anger.
The Mandy he knew would never have treated him with such coldness.

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