Chapter 80

Damn it! How did it come to this?

Brielle’s legs tensed subtly as if she couldn’t hear the commotion outside the hall. It wasn’t until a disordered flurry of footsteps approached that she looked up to see three figures at the door, her brow crinkling in an instant.

Miranda was the first to speak, trembling with fury. “What on earth is going on?! A young lady like you causing a scene that ends up with the police? If word gets out about some scandal, how are you going to find a decent marriage?”

Lillian, standing beside Miranda, reached out to gently pat her back. “Miranda, calm down. Let’s get the details first.”

Taking a deep breath, Miranda turned to the handcuffed man. His eyes shifted, especially when he caught sight of Lillian–she seemed familiar, as if he’d seen her around Sophia.

A sly grin spread across his face, sensing an opportunity. “So you must be my mother–in–law. Look, Brielle and I just had a lovers‘ quarrel. Please, talk some sense into her. This isn’t a good look for either of us.”

He whipped out his phone and started flipping through a series of intimate photos. “We’re actually quite close. She’s just a bit headstrong and called the cops in a huff.”

Miranda, unaware of the full story, now faced a stranger flaunting a plethora of intimate pictures and looking every bit the part of a street thug. Her blood boiled, and she raised a hand to strike Brielle.

Brielle dodged slightly, seizing her wrist with one hand, “Enough.”

Her tone was calm, her gaze drifting past the group to settle on the man. “I hope you’ll still be this tough when sentencing time comes around.”

His face stiffened, the glimmer of hope fading slowly. Was Brielle actually dismissive of her own mother’s words?

Cameron, who had been standing behind Miranda, stepped forward to pull Brielle’s hand away, “I thought your past escapades were bad enough, but to end up at the police station over some guy?

You’ve dragged the Haywood name through the mud. You better settle this quietly before Spencer finds out.”

If the social circle caught wind of this, Brielle’s chances of marrying into the Dorsey family would plummet, especially since Faith had already taken a dim view of her.

Brielle’s wrist throbbed under Cameron’s grip, her face turning pale.

Disgusted, Cameron released her hand, “Look at yourself. You’re no different from those prostitutes.”

Brielle’s neck was still wrapped in a scarf, her clothes in disarray, her feet shod in slippers–but none of them noticed the bloodstains on the slippers.

The officers, seeing the three of them, hurried over, “Ms. Haywood, this isn’t Ms. Brielle’s fault. This isn’t just a lovers‘ spat that can be brushed aside. The Dorsey family is involved this time.”

They explained the situation and sighed, “We’ve traced the source of the missing million dollars to the Rowland family. We’ll have someone call on the Rowland estate shortly, and we’ve also contacted Mr.

Dorsey. The USB drive indeed contains Dorsey International’s trade secrets.”

Miranda was taken aback by the complexity of the issue, especially when she heard that Ms. Rowland would be summoned, nearly fainting with shock. She had assumed it was a minor conflict between young people, but it turned out to involve Dorsey International’s trade secrets.

Lillian, already briefed by Sophia, cautiously spoke up, “If Ms. Rowland is brought in, this will spread like wildfire. Could the Haywood family end up feuding with the Rowland family? Not to mention, the Rowland’s are closely tied to the Clement’s family. If this blows up…”

She looked at Brielle with concern, edging closer, “Bri, maybe we should settle this quietly. You work for Dorsey 15:08 International, so losing a USB drive isn’t the end of the world. There should be backups on the computer. As for Ms. Rowland, I’m friends with her. I’ll talk to her, and they’ll let it go.”

Even though none of this was Brielle’s fault, Lillian made it sound like she was the one cleaning up the mess. Brielle gave Lillian a half–smile, “What, did the Rowland family send you to plead their case?”

“I’m just looking out for you. The Rowland family isn’t someone we can afford to mess with.”

After speaking, Lillian clutched Cameron’s arm in fear, “Besides, Ms. Faith just made a scene at home.

Our family is trying to sever business ties with both sides. If the Rowland family puts pressure on the Haywood family, we won’t hold up, especially with the Clements family in the mix. Bri, you can’t be so reckless.”

Her words struck a chord with Miranda and Cameron. The Rowland family was not to be trifled with!

Brielle, looking at the three of them, felt a stabbing pain in her eyes, a pain that spread to her heart.