Chapter 172

Jasmine looked puzzled. "What is it?"

Just as Jean was about to speak, both Neville and Jasmine's phones vibrated simultaneously. The caller ID displayed the city police department's criminal investigation hotline.

"Hello." Jasmine answered.

The officer's voice on the other end was serious and direct. "Hello, this is an investigator from the city's criminal investigation unit. Regarding the case involving Lisa and Michael, we need you to come to the station immediately to cooperate with the formal charges and give your statement."

"I'll be right there." Jasmine didn't hesitate for a second.

After hanging up, Jasmine looked at the others apologetically. "The police station summoned me. I have to go now."

Neville nodded slightly. After quickly wrapping things up and saying goodbye to Jean, they drove to the city police station.

Upon arriving at the interrogation room, Jasmine answered the investigating officer's questions without reservation, recounting the entire sequence of events in full detail.

The officer taking notes organized the information and asked a routine follow-up question. "What is your relationship with the suspects Lisa and Michael? Is there any financial dispute or personal grudge between you?"

Jasmine's tone was calm and straightforward. "Lisa is my biological mother. Michael is my stepfather. I have no idea why they would willingly follow Grace's orders and go so far as to try to kill me."

The moment those words left her mouth, every officer in the room froze. They exchanged glances. The atmosphere turned strange instantly.

Jasmine picked up on the shift immediately. Her brow furrowed. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

The lead detective's expression turned grave. He explained carefully. "Ms. Lane, normally we wouldn't interfere in private matters, but we have to tell you this. When we arrested Lisa and Michael, we collected blood samples from both parties for filing and ran a basic comparison in the system. According to the blood test report, your blood type and genetic parameters don't match Lisa's at all. From a medical standpoint, there is no blood relation between you two."

"What did you say?" Jasmine's pupils contracted sharply. She was completely stunned.

Seeing her reaction, the detective's tone grew even more serious. "We suspected the samples might have been mixed up, or that this could involve an old trafficking case. To be absolutely certain, we can conduct an expedited forensic paternity test right now. We'll have preliminary results in five minutes."

Jasmine's mind went blank.

The blood draw process took only a few minutes. The room fell into dead silence. Everyone waited for the final result. Those five minutes felt unbearably long to Jasmine.

The testing printer whirred to life. A cold, clinical report slowly emerged.

The captain picked up the report and scanned the data. His expression turned completely solemn. He looked at Jasmine and announced the final conclusion in a low voice. "The test confirms that there is no direct biological relationship between Jasmine and Lisa."

The words hit like a thunderclap. Jasmine was completely dazed.

The detective looked at Jasmine, who seemed lost and shaken. A trace of sympathy flickered in his eyes. He spoke earnestly. "Ms. Lane, we understand how you must be feeling. Since you have no blood relation to Lisa, we'll refile the case accordingly. Additionally, we can activate our internal family search system. Using the national DNA database, we'll do everything we can to help you locate your biological parents."

It should have been wonderful news. But Jasmine just slowly shook her head, her voice weary. "No, thank you."

The captain frowned slightly. "Miss Hale, would you like to reconsider?"

Jasmine lifted her head. Her voice was hoarse. "All my life, my biggest obsession was finding my biological parents. But so much has happened recently. I've seen through a lot of things."

"I'm an adult now. I don't need to rely on anyone anymore."

Those simple sentences were soaked in hurt.

Neville's chest tightened sharply.

He understood Jasmine's thoughts better than anyone. She hadn't truly let go. It wasn't that she didn't want to find her family—she just didn't dare to hope anymore.

Neville leaned down and whispered softly near her ear. "Whether you have family or not, I'll be with you from now on."

Jasmine didn't respond. She just leaned wearily against his shoulder, letting her emotions rest for a moment.

She had no energy left to dwell on the remaining procedures. She quickly finished signing the rest of the statement and left the criminal investigation hall.

Not long after Neville and Jasmine left the police station, a female officer responsible for DNA comparison rushed over, clutching a report. Her expression was urgent, her tone hurried. "Captain! Major discovery! The system just automatically cross-referenced the samples. Jasmine's DNA matches a woman who registered to search for her daughter over ten years ago. The match rate is one hundred percent!"

A flicker of surprise crossed the captain's eyes. "Where's the person involved? Notify Jasmine."

Another officer replied helplessly, "Too late. Miss Hale already left. And she clearly stated earlier that she's voluntarily giving up the search. She doesn't want to pursue her background anymore."

The captain was silent for a moment. Finally, he waved his hand in resignation. "Forget it. Everyone has the right to make their own choices. Since the person involved has given up, we have no authority to force the issue. Seal the file."

The chance for a blood reunion, so close at hand, was temporarily buried. No one knew.

Inside the police station's interrogation room, the atmosphere was grim and oppressive.

Lisa and Michael were held and questioned separately. Faced with ironclad evidence of their crimes, they had no way to argue. They could only admit to deliberately sabotaging the vehicle.

In an attempt to reduce her sentence, Lisa tore through every last shred of decency and screamed at the interrogator, "This whole thing wasn't our idea from the start! It was Grace! Everything was Grace's doing! She ordered us to do it!"

Based on the confession, the police immediately summoned Grace for questioning.

Throughout the interrogation, Grace remained calm, a mocking smile playing at the corners of her lips. She flatly denied all accusations. "Officer, you need evidence to make claims like that. Trying to convict me based solely on the one-sided testimony of two criminals? That's a bit ridiculous, don't you think?"

The interrogator's expression was stern. "Both Lisa and Michael have testified against you. The details they've provided are highly consistent. There's no indication of collusion."

"So what?" Grace raised an eyebrow, her tone arrogant and defiant. "Words mean nothing. Do you have chat logs? Bank transfer records? If not, I have the right to sue you for unlawful summons and defamation."

Back when Lisa and Michael were under Grace's thumb, all their dealings had been conducted offline. There was no electronic trail. The police combed through every lead but couldn't find a single piece of evidence directly linking Grace to the crime.

Bound by procedural rules, the police had no choice but to release her. Grace strutted out of the interrogation room, her composure intact the entire time.

In contrast, Lisa and Michael faced airtight evidence for attempted murder and malicious intent to harm. Both charges stuck. They were sentenced on the spot to two years in prison.

When the news reached Grace, she was in her top-floor office at the Lane Group.

Fury roiled in Grace's chest. A violent aura radiated from her. Her face turned terrifyingly dark. "Useless trash! They couldn't even keep their mouths shut, and now they dare to turn on me!"

She knew better than anyone that Lisa and Michael held all her secrets. Just because there was no evidence today didn't mean there never would be. They were a ticking time bomb.

After a moment's thought, Grace immediately made a call and summoned Melina.

Melina pushed the door open, her attitude distant and indifferent. "Grace, you wanted to see me?"

"What have you been up to lately? I never see you around anymore." Grace looked at her with displeasure.

Melina replied absentmindedly, "Oh, I've been seeing a new boyfriend."

Grace shot her a disdainful glare, then spoke in a commanding tone. "Contact Gerald. I need Lisa and Michael silenced in prison. Permanently."

Melina's heart lurched. A chill ran down her spine.

Despite her internal resistance, Melina kept her expression neutral. "Understood. I'll arrange it shortly."

"Make it quick."