?Chapter 1661:


    Realizing he was losing ground, Wesley softened his tone. “That’s not what I meant. What I’m saying is, the money I took has been paid back in full. There’s no need for an arrest. Clearly, someone made a mistake in your paperwork. You should double-check before dragging me off.”


    Without hesitation, the officer snapped the cuffs on him. “You still stole public money. That hasn’t changed.”


    Wesley searched the room and fixed his eyes on his wife and two sons, then tried another plea. “My wife is seriously ill. You cannot take me now. Her condition will worsen if I am taken away. You are killing her by doing this.”


    The officers paid no attention to his pleas and escorted him out.


    Jalen followed them out, watching their backs until his legs went weak beneath him.


    Conor and Madge were both silent, showing no visible reaction.


    A short while after that, a nurse approached the bedside and spoke briskly. “Your payments are overdue. Please settle the fees immediately.”


    Madge turned slowly toward Conor and spoke with bitter resignation. “Discharge me. I will not continue treatment. My illness will not be cured, and we have no money. Why drag the family down for me? I won’t get better anyway.”


    Conor understood the situation well. Both he and Jalen were in debt.


    “All right, Mom. I will arrange for your discharge,” Conor said.


    Conor went to handle the discharge procedures and saw Wesley in the main hall, refusing to leave, still saying something to the DA office staff. He walked over.


    Wesley raised his voice, saying, “You cannot arrest me. My brother-inw is Shepard Harper, the head of the Harper Group. He promised to take care of this. If you arrest me, you will be finished. You’re going to get fired for this! My brother-inw can pull strings like no one else. Two hundred million? That’s nothing to him! He’d still shield me if it were twenty billion! Dereliction of duty? That’s nothing serious. One call from him, and I’ll be cleared. Arrest me, and you’re all done for!”


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    The officers listened without reacting, letting Wesley finish his tirade. Then came the calm response. “Telling us all that won’t change anything. If the Harpers want to help you, they will act. We’re just here to take you to prison.”


    “Can’t you understand me? Release me at once. If you don’t, I will have my son call Shepard this minute. Believe me, every one of you will be fired!”


    Wesley raised his voice until it cracked, a far cry from the gentle man he used to portray.


    Conor burned with embarrassment when he saw that. Noticing that his father didn’t see him, he moved quickly to leave.


    Two officers seized Wesley and began to escort him away. Just then, Wesley caught sight of Brenna, Ernst, and Shepard walking in with an elderly woman.


    Wesley thrashed wildly, tore himself from the staff’s grip, and bolted toward Shepard. “Shepard! They’re trying to take me to prison! Please, tell them to stop! I’m begging you—just help me this once. I swear I’ll make it up to you!”


    Shepard actually stopped walking. His eyes stayed calm, but the quiet weight in his gaze settled straight on Wesley.


    Seeing him like that, Wesley froze. A chill crawled up his back. For the first time, he felt a twinge of fear before Shepard.


    Wesley was fully aware of how the Harper family saw him, but he said those words in front of Shepard on purpose. His goal was to make Shepard admit who he was and use that family tie to shield him.


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