?Chapter 419:


    Ste, who had been following behind, blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected that kind of reaction. Did Brenna have a problem with the police? But why? The officer, clearly not expecting to be brushed off like that, pulled his hand back awkwardly and rubbed his nose. Trying to stay calm, he asked, “So, what exactly happened? Why were you being chased?”


    Brenna shot him a cold re. “Isn’t that your job to find out?” she replied, her voiceced with sarcasm.


    The officer’s patience was wearing thin. His brows drew together as he warned, “Watch your tone. I’m asking nicely. If you don’t cooperate, don’t me me for detaining you to help jog your memory.”


    That only made Brenna angrier. Her voice rose, heated and unfiltered. “Of course! That’s exactly what people like you do. Bully those of us who don’t have money or power!”


    Her eyes turned red with emotion, fury and frustration swirling together.


    Ste and William stood quietly behind her, puzzled by Brenna’s hostility. Neither could quite understand why she was so resentful toward the officer.


    The officer frowned, trying to defend himself. “When have I ever bullied you? I tried to help when you first walked in, didn’t I?”


    “Help?” Brenna scoffed, her voice practically echoing in the room. “All you people do is waste time on useless procedures. When someone really needs protection, you disappear!” Her voice cracked at the end, a mix of anger and long-buried hurt.


    Her grandmother quickly reached for her hand, squeezing it as she turned to the officer apologetically. “I’m really sorry, sir. She doesn’t mean to be rude. She just says whatever’s on her mind. She’s still young, I’ll talk to her about it.” But Brenna pulled her hand away gently and looked at her grandmother with fierce, burning eyes. “Why should we apologize? Am I lying? Think about what happened back then. How did they treat us?”


    Brenna’s grandmother gently patted her hand, her voice soft and weary. “There’s no use digging up the past, sweetheart. Let it rest.”


    Brenna remained seated beside her grandmother, though her eyes were still burning with anger as she stared daggers at the officer.


    “I need some air,” she muttered abruptly, standing and brushing past Ste as she made her way outside.


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    Her grandmother offered a faint, apologetic smile and shook her head. “Don’t take it personally. If you have anything to ask, I’ll answer whatever I can.”


    Ste looked from Brenna—now standing stiffly outside—to William, then silently pushed the station door open and stepped out into the cool air. Brenna was standing under a big tree, clearly still fuming, so lost in thought she didn’t even notice Ste walking up.


    “Brenna, what’s got you so worked up?” Ste asked gently.


    Brenna let out a frustrated sigh. “When my dad died, I gave them everything I had—every piece of evidence. And still, they told me it wasn’t enough to open a case. What more was I supposed to do?”


    She angrily kicked a small rock across the sidewalk. “And just now? I spoke my mind and they threatened to throw me in jail. Of course, it’s easy for them to bully people like us.”


    Ste felt a pang of sympathy, but she also understood that police procedures were rigid for a reason—it wasn’t always about injustice.


    “Sometimes, it’s just how the system works,” she said softly. “They need real evidence so no one ends up being med for something they didn’t do.”


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