Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Sure enough, within half a minute, the iron door of the holding cell creaked open.

The guard walked in with a scowl, his eyes scanning the room before landing on Camila's tear-streaked face. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

"Sir..." Camila looked up, her voice shaky with sobs, her eyes red and puffy. "She kept bullying me and even hit me."

The woman on the floor scrambled to her feet, pointing a trembling finger at Camila, her whole body shaking with anger. 

She wanted to curse but didn't dare raise her voice, her face turning red as she struggled to speak, unable to get a word out.

The guard shot her a glance, his tone full of impatience. "Kassy, causing trouble again, huh? Did you forget the last warning?"

"I didn't... I didn't start it. She hit me first," Kassy Blair protested, her voice growing smaller and smaller as she fought back tears.

Ignoring her, the guard turned to Camila, his tone softening a bit. "Alright, stop crying. Someone's here to see you. Come with me."

Camila was momentarily stunned. She wiped the tears from her face and slowly stood up, her legs numb from squatting for so long.

She followed the guard out of the holding cell and into the police station hallway, surprised to find Willie waiting for her.

His eyes were red as he looked at her, his lips moving several times as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed his words, simply staring at her.

The officer standing nearby crossed his arms, his gaze shifting between them without any intention of giving them privacy.

"You didn't have to come," Camila spoke first, her voice still a bit hoarse. "It's just 48 hours. If they don't find new clues or evidence, I'll be out soon."

"I know, but I wanted to see you."

Willie's voice was low. He scratched his head, forcing a smile. "School's been busy these days, so I haven't been able to contact you. Oh, I got a scholarship and wanted to take you out to celebrate."

"A scholarship? That's great."

Camila nodded. "But you don't need to take me out. You should send the money home. You never mentioned your family before..."

"They passed away."

Willie interrupted her, his voice calm. He lowered his eyes, his long lashes hiding his emotions, as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself.

Camila nodded, not surprised. "But often, what we do is for our family, whether they're still here or not."

Willie looked up sharply, a hint of surprise and curiosity in his eyes.

Camila smiled at him. "Isn't that right? I'm sure your parents did everything they could to prepare for your future before they passed. They wanted you to grow up healthy."

The air seemed to freeze at that moment. The officer checked his watch, his frown deepening, his voice more stern than before. "Time's up. You need to go back."

Camila stood up, still smiling as she reassured Willie. "Don't worry. I'll be out the day after tomorrow. You should go back to school."

When Willie left the police station, Fiona was waiting by the car. 

As soon as he stepped out, his pace quickened, his jaw clenched, his expression cold.

"What's wrong? Did Camila get hurt?"

"No."

Willie's voice was low. "We've been focusing on that waiter, but there's another lead we haven't checked."

"You mean his associates?" Fiona's eyes lit up.

Willie nodded. "Can you arrange for someone to keep an eye on them? Especially his family. He's in jail now, but no one knows where his family is living. This could be the breakthrough."

Fiona's team worked quickly. By the next morning, they had new information.

The detective held a stack of documents, his face serious. "That waiter had a gambling habit and owed loan sharks over a hundred thousand dollars, which he hadn't paid off for months."

"But recently, he suddenly cleared all his debts. Even the loan sharks were surprised, saying he 'suddenly came into money.'"

The detective paused, flipping through the documents, his tone even more grave. 

"And his associate's family used to live in the slums. But when we went there yesterday, we found they had moved out. The neighbors didn't know where they went, saying they left in a hurry."

"That's it."

Fiona said confidently. "It's too much of a coincidence. Both of them solved their biggest problems, they must have been paid off to give false testimony."

Willie stood up, his hands clenched, his voice full of suppressed frustration. "Even if we know this, what good does it do? These clues only show they're suspicious, they can't clear Camila's name."

He turned to the detective. "Please keep investigating. Let us know if you find anything."

"Will do."

—

48 hours later, Camila pushed open the glass door of the police station. 

The sunlight outside was blinding, and she instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes. Though it had only been two days, it felt like an eternity.

She waited at the station entrance, expecting Fiona and Willie to come pick her up.

But after ten minutes, there was no sign of them. 

Just as she was about to take out her phone, a black sedan pulled up in front of her, the window rolling down to reveal Albert's face.

He quickly opened the car door and rushed to her, almost unable to contain himself as he wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Camila, I finally see you." He loosened his grip slightly, holding her shoulders.

"Why didn't you tell me about this? If you had asked for my help, you wouldn't have been locked up."

"Don't worry, I'll handle the rest. I won't let anything happen to you." He spoke, his fingers gently brushing the dust off her cheek.

But Camila just looked at him calmly, her eyes as still as deep water, without a trace of emotion.

When Albert finished speaking, she slowly raised her hand and gently pushed his arms away, her voice soft but clear. "Are you done acting?"

"The reason I got arrested was all your doing, wasn't it?"

His expression froze, disbelief written all over his face. "Do you know what you're saying?"