Up until now, Reena had been quietly observing the young man. As someone involved in politics, she naturally had a discerning eye. The moment she saw Sia, she sensed he wasn’t an ordinary person. The respect he commanded from the other officers and the aura around him indicated that he held a significant position. Initially, she had intended to treat the interrogation as a formality, but after hearing his words, she realized it would be wiser to take things seriously. Who knew what traps might be set for her?

As he mentioned, if she cooperated well, she might at least have a chance to defend herself if she had been framed. Sitting up straight, she answered Sia’s previous question. “To answer your question, I’d say it was more competitiveness than enmity. Although we were friends, there was always competition between our families in the political arena. My father wanted to be promoted to minister, while Ms. Kareen’s father wanted to retain his position. Now that I’ve entered politics too, the rivalry has intensified, especially with the elections approaching. But both our families still get along in public and exchange greetings when we meet.”

“I understand,” Sia nodded.

“But Mr. Shien, could you please explain why I’m being interrogated? I was only told this was related to Kareen’s kidnapping, but I don’t understand how I’m involved,” Reena asked.

Raising his eyebrows, Sia replied, “You weren’t sure, yet you brought your lawyer with you.”

“Well, better safe than sorry,” Reena replied indifferently.

“True.” Nodding, Sia handed her a few photos. “Do you recognize this place?”

“Um, no, but if I’m not mistaken, it looks like the place where Kareen was kidnapped—I saw it on the news.”

“Are you sure you don’t know this place and have never been there?” Searᴄh the AnimeDaily.Net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“I’m sure of it.”

“All right. Then, could you explain why you didn’t attend Ms. Kareen’s birthday party, despite being friends?” Sia asked.

“I was supposed to attend, but something came up last minute,” Reena explained.

“Please specify.”

“Uh… may I choose not to answer that?” Reena asked awkwardly.

“That’s up to you, but withholding information from the police could cause you trouble later,” Sia replied calmly.

“Well, something happened to my grandmother, so I had to cancel and go see her,” Reena answered.

The moment Sia met Reena’s gaze, she could tell Reena was lying. However, she didn’t press her on it and simply nodded, before turning her laptop screen toward Reena, showing a property certificate. “Ms. Reena, you said you didn’t know this place and had never been there. Then, please explain why this property is under your name.”

Reena frowned, leaning forward to examine the document. After scanning it, she shook her head in disbelief. “Impossible! How can that be?”

Turning the laptop, she showed it to her lawyer to verify. Seeing the lawyer nod, she understood she was being framed. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Sia and responded sincerely, “Officer, I am being framed.”

“Do you have any proof?” Sia asked calmly. Seeing that Reena was lost in thought, Sia reminded her, “Ms. Reena, we rely on evidence, not just words.”

“I understand.” Turning to her lawyer, she instructed, “Show him the list of assets in my name.”

“Of course.” The lawyer took out his tablet, looked up a few documents, and handed it to Sia. “Officer, here is the list of all assets under my client’s name, along with their market values. This list was prepared to be submitted to the election commission.”

Without taking the tablet, Sia replied, “But you must know that this alone isn’t enough proof. It’s common for politicians to keep some property hidden for personal reasons, and Ms. Reena could have done the same.”

“I understand. But these documents provide a comprehensive overview of all properties in my client’s name. They include the origin of each property, the person from whom it was acquired, the date, time, and location of each transaction. For properties purchased personally, we have supporting documentation.”

He continued, “This is my client’s financial statement. All these properties were purchased through bank transfers from her personal account, and she has a clear record of each one. This file contains tax receipts for each property in her name. Taxes were paid from her personal account, and not a single payment was missed.”

“All income outside of company earnings, including returns on investments, is credited to her personal account, while her salary and work-related expenses are managed through her business account. This includes account statements and transaction details. Furthermore, the XX company is responsible for managing my client’s properties, and you’re welcome to verify this with them.”

“I understand this may not be enough to prove my client’s innocence, but I request that you allow us some time to gather additional evidence,” the lawyer requested, while Reena listened quietly.

Without responding, Sia reviewed all the evidence and documents submitted by the lawyer, acknowledging to herself that he was quite capable. Just as she was about to comment, HK suddenly entered and said, “Shien, could you step outside?”

Raising her eyebrows, she put down the documents and excused herself from the interrogation room. Following HK to the glass window on the first floor, she looked down and saw a large crowd gathered below.

“Someone leaked the news,” HK explained. “The media found out that Ms. Reena was called in for questioning related to the minister’s daughter’s kidnapping. The news just broke, but it has already reached to quite a number of people. Now People are starting to believe that Ms. Reena orchestrated the hijacking, even the media are coming up with different stories to forcefully prove that Ms. Reena was behind this all. With elections coming up, and Ms. Reena being a prominent candidate, this story is likely to explode.”

Nodding, Sia turned to another officer and instructed, “Invite Ms. Reena over here.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Once the officer left, Sia looked at the crowd and media below and asked, “Is Stephen addressing the press?”

“Yes.”

“Connect me through. I want to know what they’re saying.”