Hannah seethed with anger as Elaine continued to expose her weaknesses.
The more she listened, the more she felt like she was about to explode. Without thinking, she hurled her expensive leather shoe at Elaine in a fit of rage.
But Elaine was quick on her feet. She dodged the projectile with a graceful tilt of her head, and turned to face Hannah with a taunting smile.
“Hey, you’re such a bitch!” Elaine said with a taunting smile.
Hannah clenched her jaw and ripped off her other shoe, hurling it with all her might at Elaine once again. But once again, Elaine dodged with ease. She turned to Hannah, a playful smirk on her lips.
“Is that all you’ve got?” she jeered. “You can’t even hit me!”
Hannah’s anger was so intense that she felt like she couldn’t breathe. She stumbled backwards, her legs buckling beneath her, until she landed on the ground. Her eyes were wet with tears as she glared up at Elaine, who seemed to take pleasure in taunting her with melon seeds.
“You’re such a deceiver, Elaine!” Hannah wailed. “I finally managed to turn my life around, and it only took a few days. But then you had to come along and ruin everything. Why did you do this to me?”
Hannah’s cries grew louder and more frantic. “I’ve been bullied by that old woman my entire life, and now that I’ve finally found my footing, you come along and snatch it all away. You’re working with her, aren’t you?!”
Elaine casually munched on her melon seeds, a self-satisfied smirk on her face.
“Hannah, your biggest mistake was ever showing weakness in front of me. What were you thinking? You’re the one with all the money, yet you still come to me every day to flaunt your wealth. But don’t forget, that money you make is dirty. Even if I didn’t expose you, someone else would have done so eventually.”
Elaine narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer to Hannah, her tone suddenly serious. “You seem to know the law pretty well. But do you know what constitutes fraud? If your activities fall into that category, the amount of money involved in your case is huge. Maybe the police will come and arrest you!”
Hannah’s heart skipped a beat when she heard these words.
She had driven all the way to this place, consumed by thoughts of her financial support being taken away, and harboring a deep-seated loathing for Elaine. But now, it seemed that her worries were much more severe than she initially thought.
Fabricating tales to dupe the public, hiding her earnings, and neglecting to report her taxes were all serious offenses.
As Hannah stood there, feeling lost and unsure of what to do next, a sudden commotion broke the quiet of the community. The wail of sirens filled the air as law enforcement vehicles, one after another, drove into the area.
The flashing blue and red lights of the cars were so bright and dizzying that Hannah had to squint her eyes to shield them from the glare. She trembled, feeling as though her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
As the vehicles came to a stop, a sense of dread and panic filled Hannah’s heart. But it was the arrival of two police cars that made her knees weak. The officers stepped out of their cars and made their way towards her.
Hannah swallowed hard, feeling as though she was about to be sick.
One of the officers looked at her with a cold, hard stare and asked, “Are you, Hannah Wilson?” The tone of his voice made her shiver, and she struggled to find her voice.
Hannah’s gaze settled on the stern face of the police officer in front of her, her complexion turning ashen.
“I am… You… What’s the matter?” she asked, her voice trembling.
The police officer’s expression remained emotionless as he spoke, “According to the information that has been exposed on the internet, we have reason to believe that you are involved in fraudulent activities and tax evasion. I’m going to need you to come with us and cooperate with our investigation.”
As the reality of the situation began to sink in, Hannah felt a wave of horror wash over her.
“Officer… I… I didn’t cheat… Did I make a mistake?” she asked, her voice trembling with fear.
The policeman’s tone was light as he responded, “Did you make a mistake? We’ll find out after the investigation. But for now, I need you to come with us.”
Hannah’s heart raced as the officer pointed towards the luxurious villa in front of them, “Is this your home? Your husband, your son, and your mother-in-law live here, right? They all need to come with us and cooperate with our investigation.”
Hannah was so afraid that she couldn’t speak, but then Elaine, who was standing on her balcony next door, piped up excitedly, “Officer, this is my house, not hers! Her house is next door! Her husband, her son, and her mother-in-law that you’re looking for all live there!”
