CHAPTER 425: CHAPTER 425: OPEN UP! POLICE!

Ariana Grant’s first reaction was to think the girl had the audacity to call the police, but soon realized the voice belonged to Ashley Shaw.

She assumed Ashley Shaw would at most request compensation from the other party, but she didn’t expect things to escalate to calling the police.

This wasn’t Ashley Shaw’s usual style, which could only mean that this girl had touched Ashley Shaw’s bottom line.

Normally, Ashley Shaw seemed able to forgive and tolerate anything, but once her bottom line was crossed, she could be more ruthless than anyone.

Therefore, Ariana Grant was accustomed to Ashley Shaw possibly saying "forget it," or simply asking for an apology and compensation, which made her visibly pause.

It was Jocelyn Hayes who reacted quickly and directly dialed the police hotline, 110.

After briefly explaining the situation, the other party asked about the value of the lost item, and she looked at Ashley Shaw for an answer.

Ashley Shaw replied in a calm and indifferent tone, "Above six figures."

The girl’s face turned deathly pale instantly.

Six figures... or more?

Wouldn’t that mean it was worth over a million?

Her hands hung by her sides curled up subconsciously; she could even hear her own heartbeat.

She wasn’t actually trying to steal; she didn’t have a habit of stealing.

She just thought the masked man accompanying Ashley Shaw seemed unusual, not like father and daughter, nor like lovers, and certainly not siblings, sparking curiosity about their relationship.

Also, because the dorm room was empty, she couldn’t resist her curiosity and opened Ashley Shaw’s drawer for a peek.

Firstly, she wanted to see if Ashley Shaw was wealthy, and secondly, she wanted to see if there were photos of the two, curious why the man was so heavily disguised.

The way the other person accused her was very annoying, so she wanted to find something to retort.

When she opened the drawer, aside from some miscellaneous daily items, she found a delicate rectangular small brocade box.

Inside was this hairpin.

The hairpin looked mundane; she instinctively tried it on her long hair.

The result of trying it on was that because her hair was too straight, the hairpin didn’t hold and fell directly to the ground, breaking into two pieces.

She was startled and instinctively wanted to put the hairpin back.

Unfortunately, at this moment, the dorm room door was suddenly pushed open.

Feeling guilty as a thief, she subconsciously hid the broken hairpin in her pocket before she had a chance to put it back.

Then Jocelyn Hayes began to question her.

During the girl’s shock, Jocelyn Hayes had already repeated Ashley Shaw’s words to the person on the other end of the phone.

The person receiving the call clearly paused and their tone became serious.

"I will immediately send someone over from the nearest police station to you."

"Okay. Please hurry."

The call ended, and the three simultaneously stared at the girl, clearly wanting to keep her from escaping.

Under their scrutiny, the girl’s face turned from white to red.

"It’s, it’s all a misunderstanding..." she said hoarsely. "I just wanted to take a look, and when I opened the box, the hairpin was already broken; it wasn’t me!"

Ashley Shaw and the others hadn’t asked anything yet, but the girl was quick to explain on her own, reminiscent of the phrase "no silver buried here."

Ashley Shaw remained expressionless, "You don’t need to tell me this. When the police arrive, tell them yourself."

Jocelyn Hayes spoke even less politely.

"Here’s your chance to call your family, tell them to quickly gather money for compensation!"

The girl shouted, face red with anger, "I already said! I didn’t break it! It was already broken when you brought it over, don’t try to frame me!"

Jocelyn Hayes snorted, "If you didn’t break it, why put it in your pocket? Do you like broken hairpins, or do you have a habit of collecting trash?"

Before the girl could retort, Ariana Grant chimed in, "Whether you broke it or not, you still stole something that wasn’t yours, didn’t you? Or did the hairpin jump out of the drawer into your pocket on its own?"

The girl seemed anxious and spoke without thinking.

She blurted out, "I didn’t steal! I just picked it up to look! Who would expect the hairpin to break so easily!"

After speaking, the three stared straight at her.

Finally realizing, the girl suddenly widened her eyes and then covered her mouth.

Ashley Shaw chuckled, but it was a cold laugh.

Ariana Grant added, "Let something slip, did you?"

"I didn’t..."

"What didn’t? Just wait to pay compensation!"

"Don’t frame me!" The girl argued thick-skinnedly.

But she seemed to realize her argument was weak, as she became increasingly incoherent.

"Framing! You’re framing me! You don’t know anything; just because you saw how I was with my mom? You’re retaliating because of that?"

"Every family has their difficulties. If she hadn’t insisted on taking my custody, I could have lived well with my dad! Who else should I blame but her?"

"How can you judge me just by appearances?"

"No, no way, just a broken hairpin, how could it be worth millions? You must be trying to extort me!"

"Framing! You’re framing!"

The girl’s words had become disjointed.

Jocelyn Hayes said resignedly, "Whether it’s framing or not, let the police decide."

Ashley Shaw no longer wanted to argue, blocking the door, just waiting for the police.

But with Ashley moving towards the door, the girl suddenly seemed uncontrollable, squeezing past Ashley Shaw, attempting to run outside.

Quick on her feet, Jocelyn Hayes pressed the door closed.

"No one’s leaving until the police arrive!"

Ariana Grant moved to grab the girl, when footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.

The girl’s face turned from red to pale.

It was out of nervousness.

The next moment, her anxiety was confirmed, knocking sounded at the door.

"Open up! Police!"

Ashley Shaw and her friends showed expressions of surprise.

In less than five minutes after the call, the police had arrived.

Such efficiency.

Ariana Grant immediately stepped forward and opened the door.

Standing at the doorway were five or six men in police uniforms, all looking stern.

"Officers, you’re here!"

Ariana Grant wore a smile of relief, glancing at the girl.

There wasn’t a trace of blood left on the girl’s face. Upon closer inspection, her legs were trembling.

Moments later, the leading officer scanned the room, expressionless, asking, "Which one of you is Ashley Shaw?"

Ariana Grant, being closest, responded first.

She pointed at Ashley Shaw, "It’s her. We all reported together. Someone stole from Ashley and damaged a hairpin worth millions."

The officer visibly paused, furrowed his brow, and asked, "What report?"

With that, the room’s occupants showed signs of bewilderment.