“Damn it! You’re not a thief? Then what are you? Kid, since you’re here, you’d better behave yourself, or I’ll have to get rough!” As soon as Grace Bennett spoke, Officer Thompson became furious and barked at him directly.

“Heh, Captain Thompson, if this guy doesn’t behave, let us help him loosen up a bit.” At that moment, the earlier Officer Harris also walked into the interrogation room, grinning wickedly as he spoke.

The look he gave Grace Bennett was even more vicious.

※※※

Just as the two men’s hostility peaked, in another interrogation room, facing the questioning of a female officer, Jessica Sullivan, sitting in the chair, still wore a look of restrained anger and insisted on asking to make a phone call.

The female officer across from her wasn’t aware of the dirty dealings between Officer Thompson and Brian Carter. No matter what she asked, the other party always responded the same way, and her face was full of confidence, showing no sign of worry about being at the police station. This made the officer feel something was off, but she still agreed to Jessica Sullivan’s request.

It was only after getting her phone that Jessica Sullivan finally exploded, furiously dialing a number and calling out.

Once the call connected, a hearty laugh came from the phone, “Xiao Ying? Heh, what’s up, is something wrong? Aren’t you traveling in Ning City to relax?”

“Dad, I was arrested by the Huai Shui Branch of Ning City Public Security Bureau. They said I was stealing! What’s even more infuriating is, I lost my wallet, and someone who found it kindly returned it to me, but we both got arrested and accused of being part of a pickpocket gang!” Hearing that voice, all the grievance in Jessica Sullivan’s heart poured out.

Honestly, even now, she was baffled by her arrest. She had occasionally wondered if those two officers were actually after Grace Bennett and mistakenly arrested her as well. That was the only explanation she could come up with.

But no matter how she thought about it, she didn’t believe Grace Bennett was a thief.

After all, he returned her wallet with nothing missing, and even when she offered him money to thank him, he dismissed it.

He left right away, showing no intention of getting closer to her. Even if he had stolen her wallet just to return it as an excuse to approach her, it didn’t add up. So, he couldn’t possibly be a thief.

She had a good eye and could tell whether Grace Bennett’s demeanor and expression when he was about to leave were genuine or not.

So, after thinking it through, she could only conclude that those two officers were deliberately framing Grace Bennett, pinning the crime of pickpocketing on him.

At this point, she didn’t mind helping Grace Bennett out.

After all, his actions had left her with a good impression.

As Jessica Sullivan spoke, the voice on the other end of the line, which had been full of laughter, suddenly froze... even the breathing became much heavier.

After a long moment, that voice suddenly erupted in a furious roar, “Absurd! My daughter, Matthew Sullivan, a thief?! Xiao Ying, wait there, I’ll handle this right away!”

That roar was so loud that even the female officer sitting across from Jessica Sullivan heard it clearly. In the next instant, her expression changed dramatically, and she couldn’t help but feel that this time, her precinct’s Captain Thompson was in big trouble.

Although she didn’t know who Matthew Sullivan was, just from the confident tone on the other end, she could sense something significant. So, in the next moment, her gaze toward Jessica Sullivan became a bit strange.

※※※

Ning City, the Public Security Bureau headquarters building located in Shangyang District, gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight.

A black official car sped down the clean road and, under the respectful gaze of two gatekeeping officers, drove straight into the bureau’s courtyard.

Inside the car, a stern-faced middle-aged man gently turned the steering wheel toward the parking lot. Just then, a soft ringtone sounded.

He paused slightly, freed his right hand, glanced at the caller ID, and saw it was a number from Linjiang, the provincial capital. His expression changed slightly, because not only was it from Linjiang, it also seemed to be a call from the provincial government.

“Strange, the provincial government?” Frowning in surprise, the man immediately pressed the answer button. Then, a calm voice sounded from the other end, “Is this Comrade Samuel Reed? This is Matthew Sullivan from the provincial government.”

“Governor Sullivan? This is Samuel Reed.” Upon hearing this, the black official car came to a sudden halt, and Samuel Reed sat up straight. But in his heart, he was filled with shock and confusion—why would the other party personally call him?

After all, Matthew Sullivan was the Executive Vice Governor of Huaijiang Province, wielding immense power. It was unimaginable. He himself was just the chief of police in Ning City—how could he warrant a personal call from Matthew Sullivan?

“It’s like this: my daughter went to Ning City for a trip, but unexpectedly, your Huaishui Branch arrested her and her friend as members of a pickpocket gang. I just want to understand what’s going on—was there some kind of misunderstanding? I believe my own daughter would never stoop to stealing on the street.” Before Samuel Reed could continue wondering, Matthew Sullivan calmly explained everything.