Chapter 457: The Eldest Young Master Law Is Too Arrogant!
Cecilia Vaughn was taken aback.
The cruise ship’s surveillance actually had real-time cloud backup?
Great! Now she could finally clear herself of the wrongful accusation!
Hope suddenly surged within Cecilia as she looked eagerly at the blond officer from Vesperia.
"Really? May I ask who the murderer is?"
However, that foreign man looked at Cecilia with such indifference, and his next words directly cast her into the depths of despair.
"Why are you pretending to be innocent?"
"Forensic! No need to verify further, the recovered surveillance video shows that this woman killed the victim!"
...
"What the hell?"
"I just saw how anxious and happy Eldest Miss Vaughn looked, I thought I might have wronged her!"
"My God, Cecilia Vaughn is the criminal? Such an incredible psychological resilience, earlier she advised us not to leave the safest place on the cruise, and now look, she’s the murderer!"
...
Voices of condemnation resounded endlessly, and the color gradually drained from Cecilia’s face.
She stumbled back a step, utterly shocked.
"Impossible, I demand to see the video. How could the surveillance show that I murdered Chloe Alden? Did you take the video of my scuffle with Chloe Alden around nine as evidence?"
"Stop denying! It’s clearly shown that you’re the one who pushed the victim into the water!"
The Vesperian officer crudely produced an arrest warrant, glaring fiercely at Cecilia.
"Now, please come with us to the station for questioning!"
...
Cecilia’s face was pale, and her mind was filled with doubts. She couldn’t believe that in the surveillance video found by these foreigners, she was the criminal.
"No, you must have made a mistake! It’s true that I had a disagreement with Chloe Alden, but I am absolutely innocent of her murder!"
"Enough with the talk! Just because you say it didn’t happen doesn’t make it true, come with us to the station!"
Just as Cecilia wrestled with frantic disbelief, the Vesperian officer directly took out handcuffs, intending to cuff them on Cecilia’s wrists!
...
"Cecilia is my wife, did you ask my permission before trying to arrest her?!"
Adrian Law, with an icy expression, coldly grabbed the Vesperian officer’s collar.
The foreign man was about the same height as Adrian, and even bulkier by a large measure, yet Adrian easily held him in check.
The foreign officer angrily kicked his feet, but his eyes involuntarily reflected fear.
"You, what are you doing! Are you trying to assault a police officer in public?"
Several accompanying Vesperian officers instinctively placed their hands on the right pockets of their trousers, where protruding objects unmistakably indicated firearms.
The scent of gunpowder hung thick in the air, as a confrontation edged closer.
...
"Assaulting a police officer in public, huh..."
Adrian’s eyes were cold, his pupils seemingly radiated a piercing chill, daring no one to meet his gaze.
The officer, subdued by Adrian, was momentarily speechless, awed by the Veridian man’s astonishing aura.
He vaguely remembered his superior cautioning him about the identity of the organizers of this cruise ship, and not to offend them easily.
The Vesperian officer, visibly hesitant, softened his tone under Adrian’s overwhelming presence.
"Mr. Law, regardless of your perspective, facts remain facts. According to your Veridian saying, ’Even an emperor and a commoner are equal under the law.’ Just because she’s your wife, does that excuse her from the legal price for murder?"
"Cecilia could never be a murderer!"
Adrian declared adamantly, his voice cold and resolute as he glanced around at everyone present.
"If you intend to take her away, you must allow me to participate in the investigation!"
"This..."
The officers exchanged bewildered looks, knowing no rationale would permit a suspect’s relative to partake in the inquiry.
Moreover, in terms of professionalism, Adrian was not someone with expertise in this field.
...
The situation teetered into another stalemate.
Adrian’s voice was deep, a cold curve erasing across his handsome face.
"Or, give my wife and me 24 hours. Our passports are inside your country’s borders; even if we wanted to flee, it wouldn’t be feasible to abandon the vast investments in Veridia."
"If we cannot prove my wife’s innocence within 24 hours, I will allow you to take her for questioning."
This condition was undeniably more lenient than before.
The Vesperian officers looked uneasy, as the lead forensic examiner cast a skeptical look at Cecilia.
"How could we assure that this lady won’t flee just based on your one-sided claim?"
Cecilia took a deep breath, a trace of gloom flickered in her eyes.
"Forensic officer, I trust you’ve examined Chloe Alden’s body. It carries my DNA, true, but there are many points worth questioning. For instance, you mentioned marks on her neck, yet I believe my DNA is absent there."
"Indeed."
The forensic expert cast a piercing gaze, his voice sharp.
"But there’s no one else’s either."
Cecilia smiled slightly, her pretty almond eyes sweeping over everyone present.
"Tell me this, given that I could leave my entire DNA and fingerprints on Chloe Alden’s scalp and arms, why would I erase those from her neck specifically if culpability was inevitable?"
...
"Indeed, what Miss Vaughn says makes sense..."
The crowd was thrown into confusion, Cecilia’s voice steady, holding onto Adrian’s wrist with a desperate determination.
"If after 24 hours my innocence is not established, I will go with the police. During this time, I authorize this forensic expert to monitor me, I will never attempt escape."
She had no idea how Adrian had settled on this timeframe, a remarkably tight window, and previous evidence was so compelling that overturning the charge seemed an insurmountable task.
Yet, despite the daunting odds, she had to try.
...
Adrian held her close, looking at the lead forensic officer with an uplifted pale smile.
"Have you made your decision?"
The Vesperian officers discussed for a long time, and ultimately, nodded.
...
Adrian’s eyebrows barely perceptibly relaxed, but soon enough, he issued a stern warning to everyone present.
"Before my wife’s culpability is confirmed, anyone releasing false news to any media will face the consequences!"
The crowd was in an uproar; how could a suspect be so audacious?
Wasn’t this an open threat?
Their hearts churned with unease, yet no one dared to oppose Adrian’s words, at most grumbling internally.
— The Eldest Young Master Law must be insane, clearing her name in 24 hours? Does he think he’s some master detective?
...
In the cruise office.
The forensic officer wore a sour expression as he sent the recovered cloud video to Cecilia and Adrian.
"Here, the surveillance footage you wanted."
Cecilia’s heart tightened; as she saw the images, she was suddenly chilled to the bone!
The woman pushing Chloe Alden into the sea was actually "her"...