“Mr. Scott.” Phillips’s tone carried the weight of doom. “It appears this is why Hadley was arrested by the police.”

He yanked open the car door. “Let’s go.”

Eric nodded, his expression thunderous as he climbed into the car. “Drive faster!” he commanded the driver.

Leaning back, Eric squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his hand against his forehead. Regret devoured him from within. He shouldn’t have lost his temper with Hadley today. She was still fragile, battling so much already. He should have shown more compassion.

As long as she remained safe, even if she never loved him, he could accept that fate.

The traffic crawled at a standstill. By the time Eric and Phillips reached the police station, Cristian was already there, collecting details about the case. Once the paperwork was finalized, they moved to see Hadley.

“Mr. Scott,” Cristian said, facing Eric.

Eric nodded, his face tense as he stepped inside. “Give me the summary.”

Cristian hesitated, a frown tugging at his brow. “It’s not looking good.”

Eric didn’t flinch. He had expected this the moment Linda filed her complaint. After a pause, he asked, “Will I need to post bail or start preparing for court?”

“Mr. Scott,” Cristian met his gaze and shook his head.

Eric halted, his jaw tightening. “What are you trying to say?”

“Mr. Scott…” Cristian swallowed. “I wasn’t done earlier. It’s not just Linda’s complaint anymore.”

Eric’s eyes narrowed. “Speak clearly.”

Cristian nodded. He had only found out minutes ago. “In addition to Linda’s accusations, there’s Ayla. Just a while ago, the police received her report. She’s accusing Hadley of attempted bribery—says Hadley tried to pressure her into giving false testimony to frame Linda.”

Eric stiffened and shut his eyes for a beat. Ayla—always lingering, always scheming. She’d tried to sabotage Hadley before. When that didn’t work, she turned to this. Letting herself be dragged into Linda’s mess—how fitting.

g?ν.?n – ?

“Will this hurt Hadley’s case?” Eric asked, his breathing unsteady.

Cristian gave a slow nod. “Yes. It makes things worse. It’s no longer just about whether Hadley hurt Linda.”

The bribery accusation shifted everything. And it wasn’t the first time she’d gone to Ayla for answers about Linda. Cristian looked at Eric, his voice low. “This gives them a solid reason to believe Hadley had a motive—to harm Linda.”

A motive, stacked alongside witness accounts and direct accusations. A wave of darkness blurred Eric’s vision. Cold dread burst from his chest and crawled through every limb. His fists clenched without thought. He looked at Cristian. “When we see Hadley later, these details…”

“Mr. Scott,” Cristian shook his head. “We can’t keep this from her. We need her full cooperation from this point on. She has to know everything.”

Eric felt his chest tighten, knowing there were things he couldn’t shield her from. He stayed quiet for a long time before giving a reluctant nod.

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