Chapter 841

Hearing that, the lead officer began to waver.

He glanced at Tessa’s injuries again, secretly amazed. As much as he wanted to keep the woman there, there was no way to explain the marks around her neck.

Tessa had already picked up on his hesitation. She simply lowered her gaze and sat off to the side, trembling like a frightened lamb. She looked as though she’d just suffered some unspeakable torment.

In the end, the lead officer waved his hand.

“Forget it. Once the questioning’s done, let her go. There’s no point keeping her here. She is just a fragile woman, after all.”

But Hector wasn’t convinced it was that simple. After spending nearly a whole day with Tessa, he had a pretty clear picture of what kind of person she really was. He’d basically figured her out. And that’s exactly why he felt she shouldn’t be released. If they let her go, she might cause real trouble.

But the lead officer stood firm. “Enough. Either way, we don’t have concrete evidence. And besides, she got hurt while in our custody. We have to take responsibility for that.”

With that, the lead officer left for real. Before going, he ordered someone to take Julian away and isolate him. After all, he’d already attacked someone. This wasn’t something to take lightly–there was a possibility he had some deeper psychological issues.

Only Hector and another officer remained, the two exchanging uncertain glances.

Once Julian was taken away, Hector felt like his entire worldview had been shaken. The holding cell suddenly felt much roomier, the crowd from earlier now gone.

And for the first time, Hector started to wonder. Could all of this have been part of Tessa’s plan? Was it all just to get herself released as soon as possible?

If that were really the case, then this woman was downright terrifying.

Tessa trembled as she asked, “Officer Hector, is there anything else you need to ask me? If not… can I leave now?” Her eyes were brimming with tears, and her voice was hoarse. Just saying those two sentences was enough to stir a man’s instinct to protect.

But Hector wasn’t swayed by that kind of act. He let out a cold snort. “Save it. That doesn’t work on me. I just want to know–do you have another agenda? What exactly are you trying to do?”

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At this point, Hector could no longer see Tessa as just an ordinary woman. She was cunning–skilled at setting traps without making a sound. That much was obvious, especially considering how fast everything had escalated earlier, catching even him off guard.

When Hector replayed the entire sequence of events, he realized they had all walked straight into Tessa’s trap.

But Tessa clutched her bruised neck, her hoarse voice barely audible. “Officer… I don’t understand what you mean. I’m the one who was attacked. I only stayed behind to cooperate with your investigation. Why would you think such things of me?”

The more she spoke, the more wronged she appeared. Her voice was nearly gone, yet she still forced herself to speak up and defend herself, little by little. The sight made the other officer visibly uncomfortable.

He nudged Hector with his elbow. “Come on, Hector. What are you doing? She came here voluntarily to help, and now she’s a victim. Why are you being so suspicious of her?”

This officer was still a trainee, new to the force, with a mind far too innocent.

Chapter 842