Emily decided to be straightforward: “I’ve been staying in Vincent’s hospital room these past few days. My family coming to stay with me was unexpected. But I only have this one elder left in my family, so I have to take care of him properly.” Ken nodded repeatedly. “You’re right, we should always take care of our elders first.” Emily quickly handled her urgent emails and then shut down her computer. “Ken, I’m heading home. We’ll meet at the groundbreaking ceremony tomorrow morning.” Ken nodded. “Alright, alright. Oh, and don’t forget what I mentioned earlier—give it some thought.” “...Alright.” “Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you! Our company’s annual gala is coming up, and we’ve invited some really popular celebrities this year. Plus, the boss’s younger sister, Janet, will be there. You have to come!” The annual gala? Emily had never participated in such events before. She wasn’t really a fan of these kinds of gatherings. “I’ll see if I’m available. Goodbye, Ken.” ... Carol had brought the milk and handed it over to Grace and Sophia before clocking out. Once he was gone, Sophia jumped up from the bed, full of energy—none of the weakness from earlier. “Mom, it seems like Carol isn’t interested in me.” Grace shot her a look. “Did Nathan fall for you at first sight?” Of course not. With makeup, she looked passable, but without it, she was far from attractive, especially when compared to Emily. Nathan had been used to seeing Emily’s face, so how could he possibly fall for her at first sight? “Men are all the same. You didn’t get involved with Nathan until after you started working at Reed Group. It was only then that feelings developed. This Carol kid is still young and naive. Don’t worry, after a few more days of bringing you milk, you two will get to know each other. Then, just make the first move—he’ll fall for you soon enough.” Sophia was fully obedient to her mother now. Besides, she desperately wanted to escape the dark, miserable life at the nightclub. With her health deteriorating, her skeletal frame was unappealing to most of the customers, who preferred women with more curves. She was left serving poor, low-paying men who didn’t even treat her like a human being. She was fed up with it! More importantly, Carol was tall, handsome, and looked even better in his police uniform. Sure, he wasn’t as rich as Nathan or Vincent, but being a policeman was a respectable profession. Given her current situation, landing a young cop as a boyfriend would be a win for her. “Listen,” Grace leaned in and whispered to her, “Carol will definitely come by to check on us tomorrow morning. Here’s what you’ll do…” The next morning, however, it wasn’t Carol who brought breakfast—it was a female officer. She looked stern and didn’t bother to hide her disdain for the two of them. Grace asked, “Isn’t Carol supposed to be bringing us breakfast today?” “Carol?” The officer sneered. “You’re in detention, and now you think you can dictate our shift schedules?” Grace was taken aback but didn’t give up. “I was just asking. No need to get so angry, young lady.” The officer laughed coldly. “And you, middle-aged woman, should stop with your little schemes. This is a police station, not your nightclub. Not every man is interested in arsonists and escorts.” Sophia’s face turned pale. “I...I’m just...forced by life!” “Why don’t you ask around? Everyone in detention claims they were forced by life. Does that mean you get to burn down someone’s house or seduce another woman’s husband?” The officer didn’t hold back, and Grace suddenly realized something was off. “Did the woman who reported us say something to you? We’ve had disagreements with her in the past, so whatever she told you might be biased. It’s not the full truth.” The officer smirked. “This is a police station. Every detainee gets their background checked, so we don’t need anyone to fill us in. You two are quite famous, you know? Your story is all over the internet—it’s like a soap opera. Took me all night to read through it.” She handed them their breakfast. “Here you go. No milk today.”“What if my daughter’s anemia and low blood pressure act up again?” “Then call us. Don’t worry, we’ll rush her to the hospital right away. But if she checks out fine, that’s not just lying—it’s considered an escape attempt. We’ll treat it as such, and the consequences will be severe. So think carefully.” The officer left without another word. As she walked back to the main hall, Carol gave her a thumbs up. “You’re the best.” The officer huffed. “With people like that, you have to be tough. And by the way, her daughter looks perfectly healthy. Where did you even get the idea that she had low blood pressure?” Carol scratched his head awkwardly. “I just felt sorry for her. She’s so skinny, I thought she might actually be sick.” “How long are they in for?” the officer asked. “Five days. Even though they committed arson, the total value of the damage was under $500. And they’ve agreed to compensate, so they’re only in for five days.” As Emily arrived, she overheard Carol and the officer discussing Grace and Sophia’s detention. Five days? Emily let out a cold laugh. They burned down her uncle’s house, and five days was all they got? That wasn’t going to happen. “Hi, I’m the one who reported the arson case,” Emily said. “I’ve tallied the value of the damaged goods and brought a list.” The female officer attended to her. The officer scanned the list and was stunned. “$120,000?” “Yes, and that doesn’t include the value of the house itself—just the items inside,” Emily replied, pulling out a stack of receipts. “Coincidentally, Bert recently went on a trip to Rome, and I was there as well. I helped him buy several luxury items. He didn’t recognize the brands, so he thought they were just ordinary clothes and bags. Yesterday, I looked into it and realized they were all destroyed in the fire. Since I kept the receipts, I’ve brought them along.”