Hank leaned back in his metal chair, radiating a lethal authority despite the handcuffs. "Explain what? We couldn't sit back and watch them butcher wildlife. We were protecting the animals."
Loyce looked the man dead in the eye. "It was self-defense. They were trying to murder a little girl. I stepped in to save her."
"We’ve already spoken to the child’s father," the senior inspector sneered. "He explicitly stated that you attempted to murder his daughter. You dragged him into the reserve, tracked down his child, and nearly shot her to death. Care to dispute that?"
Loyce raised an eyebrow. She wasn't surprised; they had obviously gotten to Sagan and threatened him in the ambulance.
"And why exactly would I shoot a little girl?" Loyce asked coolly. "Wasn't it the very security guards you're currently defending who pulled the trigger?"
"Watch your mouth!"
The inspector turned purple with rage, but a man in a bespoke suit—a high-level fixer representing one of the families—put a calming hand on his shoulder. His tone was civil, but his eyes were reptilian.
"Miss, I suggest you watch your tone and refrain from making baseless accusations. You claim you were protecting animals? The scene we processed shows Corinne Pierce, Dorian, and the others severely traumatized and injured. Their security detail was massacred. Meanwhile, you, your brother, and his... syndicate," he paused, choosing his words carefully, "were the sole heavily armed aggressors. We have every reason to believe this was a premeditated, targeted assassination attempt."
Loyce smiled coldly. "So, rather than investigating why there was a fully stocked taxidermy room in the middle of a wildlife reserve, you’re investigating me?"
"We are discussing your charges," the official replied smoothly. "As for any other alleged infractions, we will investigate them in due time. We don't blindly accuse the innocent."
Loyce let out a short, mocking laugh.
The interrogation room door swung open. Escorted by a female officer, Corinne and Jennifer walked in. Out of the entire billionaire circle, they were the only two who had escaped without a scratch.
They had been given clean clothes and had regained some of their color. Though genuine terror still lingered in their eyes, they had masked it with a heavy layer of manufactured outrage and victimhood.
It was obvious they had coordinated their stories. Jennifer had entirely thrown her conscience out the window.
"Officers, sir," Jennifer said, her voice trembling perfectly as she pointed an accusing finger at Loyce and Hank. "It was them. They stormed our private retreat and just started executing people! Our guards were only trying to protect us! My friends are innocent!"
Corinne seamlessly picked up the act, squeezing out a few crocodile tears. "We were just there to support conservation efforts. Why would they do this to us?"
The lawyers for Dorian, Sandro, and the rest echoed the exact same narrative.
"Our clients are in critical condition and cannot be here, but they are lucid, and we are speaking on their behalf."

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The readers' comments on the novel: She Was the Treasure All Along
Please publish another book... Reborn fake heiress: watch the whole family burn.. thank you !!...