?Chapter 1185:


    Over at the Erygan District Police Station, the corridor glowed dimly, and rows of metal benches lined the space in perfect order.


    The door swung open as Maxwell stepped inside, and his eyesnded on Pattie right away. She sat off to the side, fidgeting with unease while scanning the room.


    Maxwell raised a hand to greet Pattie. Then, with the cops nearby keeping a close eye, he strolled over and dropped into the seat beside her. “Ms. Miller, it’s been a while… Need a hand?”


    Pattie shot him a weary re, then nced around. Just as she’d suspected, every officer nearby had their eyes locked on them.


    From what she remembered, Maxwell always showed up in a way that grabbed attention. It seemed like second nature to him. His entrances felt staged, and today was no different—he’d walked in wearing loose shorts, a cut-off tee, and worn sneakers.


    Pattie was at a loss for words. She had always thought Maxwell was a bit ky, but right now she was stuck with him. Lowering her voice, she said, “Could you dial it back a notch? Do you really need to make such a show every time you show up?”


    “Dial it back? I was only worried you might not spot me.” Maxwell slouched in his chair, a smug grin creeping across his lips, cool as ever.


    “All right then. Fair enough. I’ll give you that… Something went down yesterday, and here’s the story…” Pattie rattled off the events to Maxwell. Atst, her tone sharpened with anger as she added, “Now my bodyguards are gone. That bunch could prove I’m telling the truth if they bothered to check. There was a full-on gunfight at the scene yesterday.”


    Maxwell stayed silent for a moment, his eyes drifting shut.


    Seeing it, Pattie’s gaze hardened. With a hint of doubt, she asked, “Chris said I might not be allowed to leave… Were you even paying attention to what I just told you?”


    No sooner had the words left her mouth than two uniformed officers walked over from a distance.


    “Ms. Miller, we’ve looked into the scene you mentioned.” The older officer, decorated with higher-ranking badges, spoke first, his voice cold and by the book. “Unfortunately, there’s no evidence at the location to back up your story.”


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    “That can’t be!” Pattie’s brow furrowed. “Did you even check for bullet holes? And what about the security cameras around the ce?”


    “We did,” the younger officer answered, his face unreadable. “But after checking the scene, we discovered it was a film crew shooting a gunfight. From what we can tell, Ms. Miller, it’s very likely you were hallucinating from taking certain illegal substances and confused the set for a real shooting.”


    The older officer slowly pulled a form from his pocket. “So, we’re asking you to take a drug test and stay here for further questioning.”


    Pattie froze, stunned. She had expected the police station…


    …might be crooked and that her story wouldn’t be believed, but she never imagined they would use her of being high and seeing things.


    Just as Chris had warned, she wasn’t only trapped at the station—she was being falsely med, too.


    A storm of emotions surged through Pattie. Anger, disbelief, and helplessness all tightened in her throat.


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