Chapter 223

Yvette walked out with one hand in her pocket, leading Bonnie at a leisurely pace. Behind them, Winona’s venomous gaze followed closely. I didn’t expect to run into someone I know right after stepping out, Yvette thought.

The police had just received a report of a shooting in Skyline Plaza. As soon as Zane heard about it, he couldn’t sit still. ‘Who would be bold enough to wave a gun around in broad daylight in Skyline Plaza I need to see who this fearless fool is, Zane thought.

Yvette stepped out, and Zane was surprised to see her. I didn’t expect her to be here, but then again, she might have just been shopping and got caught up in this mess, Zane thought.

Zane quickly unholstered his gun and approached Yvette, not hiding his actions from the onlookers. His attitude was nothing but courteous. “Ms. Zeller, you’re here too. Did the criminal hurt you? Do you need to go to the hospital for a check- up?”

Zane’s overly solicitous manner made the sharp-faced saleswoman who had just run out even more hesitant to speak, trembling with fear, Yulia’s expression was a mix of emotions, hard to put into words. So that’s why Yvette dared to act this way-she has the backing of the Chief of Seacrity Police Department, Yulia thought.

Bonnie’s lips twitched as she debated whether to tell Zane that the ‘criminal” was right in front of him.

Zane, seeing that Yvette wasn’t speaking, assumed she was scared. He didn’t press further and instead bellowed with authority, “Where is the criminal? Surrender immediately and drop your weapon!”

Yvette half-lowered her eyes, then lifted her head. She remained silent for a couple of seconds, her blue eyes expressionless, and her voice devoid of emotion. Tm here.”

Zane said, “I know, Ms. Zeller, you’re here. What does this have to do with you? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to catch this criminal and bring them to justice.”

Yvette rubbed her temples. “I’m telling you, the ‘criminal’ you’re looking for is me. Let’s go.”

Zane turned around in disbelief. His face changed several times in a few seconds, looking almost comical. He cleared his throat and gave Yvette a look that said, “You can’t be serious. I’m not falling for this.”

Yvette flexed her wrist and glanced at Zane. “Aren’t you here to arrest me? Let’s not waste any more time.

Zane’s face turned pale. He looked at the sharp-faced saleswoman who had just run out and asked, “Did Ms. Zeller really fire the gun?” The saleswoman shook her head frantically, muttering, “Don’t ask me, I don’t know anything.” Then Zane turned to Yulia for confirmation, “What about you?” Yulia cautiously glanced at Yvette. She wasn’t sure if she should speak up. The scene of Yvette holding a gun still had her shaken, and she was a bit intimidated by Yvette, Neither of them could provide any useful information, and Zane felt his headache intensifying ‘Ms. Zeller wouldn’t joke about something like this, would she? So, should I arrest her or not? This is such a tricky situation Zane thought.

Just then, Winona hung up her phone and walked out. Seeing the police, she clutched her head and made a decision. ‘Even if I can’t frame Yvette with the child, I can’t let her off so easily, Winona thought. She was already pale from the shock and fainted dramatically, making sure to fall in a way that wouldn’t harm her stomach. Before fainting, she put on a show of being terrified of Yvette, pointing at her and pleading, “Please, don’t hurt my baby. Please, officer, she has a gun. Arrest her, quickly!

Winona collapsed to the ground, unconscious. This time, Yulia didn’t step forward; instead, she lowered her head, deep in thought. This must be another one of Winona’s acts, Yulia thought Yulia now had an inexplicable fear of Winona. She suspected that what Yvette had said earlier might be true. ‘If Winona really planned to use her unborn child to frame Yvette, that’s just too terrifying. A person who can use their own child as a pawn? I can’t even imagine it. Yulia thought, shivering at the idea.

Now, Zane was the one feeling the pressure. He had originally intended to catch the criminal to enhance his record, but now he found himself in a difficult position. Tm really stuck between rock and a hard place, Zane thought.

Zane sighed as he looked at Yvette, who stood there with one hand in her pocket, looking completely nonchalant. ‘She really doesn’t fear anything with Mr. Chavez backing her, does she? But it’s broad daylight, and we can’t just let this slide without giving the public an explanation. Fortunately, he had already evacuated the area, which turned out to be a good move. However, Yvette had presented him with a major dilemma. The thirty SWAT officers were also standing there, looking confused. Where are the terrorists? Just one woman? This is ridiculous, they thought. The situation became increasingly awkward, to the point where even Winona, who was lying on the ground pretending to be unconscious, was being ignored.

Winona had no idea what was going on. ‘Why haven’t they arrested Yvette yet? What are these police waiting for?” She couldn’t just wake up now; that would look too fake. So, she lay there, shivering and motionless, silently cursing Yvette and the incompetent police. One of the SWAT officers, seeing Winona on the ground, quickly dialed 911 and then approached Zane, saluting. “Mr. Chappell, should we arrest this ‘criminal’ immediately?”

The other SWAT officers collectively twitched their eyes. Young and fearless, huh? Can’t you see Mr. Chappell clearly doesn’t want to arrest this ‘criminal?’

Zane smiled at the young SWAT officer, gritted his teeth, and then turned to Yvette, asked in a polite tone, “Ms. Zeller, could you come with us? Don’t worry, we won’t wrong a good person. We’ll make sure you don’t suffer any injustice Lying on the ground, Winona’s fingers tightened into a fist.

Yvette nodded, her words brief and to the point. She turned to Bonnie and said, “You should go back first.” Bonnie shook her head firmly. Even though she didn’t know how Yvette would get out of this, she couldn’t leave her alone at a time like this.

“Yvette, I’m not going. Let me stay with you. This whole thing started because of me, so I should go to the police station and explain everything myself.”

Yvette thought, this girl is really stubborn, but it’s better to have her by my side. At least I won’t be alone. Yvette raised an elegant eyebrow, her gaze fixed on Bonnie for a few seconds. “Fine.” She then turned back to Zane and said, “Let’s go.”

Zane nodded repeatedly, relieved that Yvette was cooperating. They could sort things out once they got to the station. The young SWAT officer asked, as per protocol, “Mr. Chappell, should we handcuff the suspect?”

Yvette paused, giving the two of them a half-smirk. Zane really wanted to kick this young SWAT officer, ‘Who the heck brought this moron to the station? It must be one of my political rivals trying to ruin my career, he thought.

Zane couldn’t lose his temper, so he kept a straight face and said with forced patience, “No, we don’t need that. The situation isn’t clear yet. Don’t jump to conclusions. As police officers, we can’t just believe one side of the story, got it?”

Yvette left, escorted by Zane. But it was more like she was politely asked to leave. In the mall, only Yulia and the woman with the sharp features remained, along with Winona lying on the ground. Soon, the ambulance arrived, Winona continued to play possum, partly to further enrage Robert and Victor, hoping they would stand up for her. Just a moment ago, while Yvette was out, I called Robert and Victor, she thought. They should be arriving any minute now.”

At the Seacrity Hospital, the old butler, Lucas, was carrying a tray of nutritious food, preparing to head up to the fifth floor.

Zachary had just woken up and needed to regain his strength. As he reached the hospital entrance, he saw a stretcher being unloaded from an ambulance. He took a closer look, and to his surprise, he recognized the person on the stretcher. It was Winona, the fake Ms. Chambers he had served for over twenty years.