Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Detained

Nathaniel Nathan’s gaze swept around the room. “I wonder what Vera did wrong today to wind up here with Jacobs.”

He was an inherently cold and detached man. While his tone had been mild just a moment ago, the instant he unleashed his aura, the temperature in the room seemed to plunge by several degrees.

Cara Preston shivered involuntarily, while Jack Judd pathetically dove straight under the table.

The chief’s smile vanished. “She hasn’t done anything wrong. She was just brought in along with the others. I just finished clarifying the situation and was about to send her home.”

Nathaniel Nathan’s icy gaze swept over Cara Preston. “Is that so? I know Jacobs has always been a fair man, and that he deals harshly with those who have malicious intent.”

The chief nodded. “Of course. I’m having them write a formal self-criticism right now.”

Just then, as if spurred by something, Cara Preston suddenly cried out to Nathaniel Nathan, “Nathaniel, my sister may look innocent, but the truth is, she…”

She stopped, turning to Vera Xavier with a look of great distress. “I’m so sorry, Sis. I can’t let you keep deceiving him. Nathaniel has a right to know the truth.”

After she spoke, she pointed at Vera Xavier, tears welling in her eyes. “On the night of Mr. Nathan’s birthday, my sister came home with her clothes in tatters. Her dress was torn to shreds! People who live nearby saw a few thugs leaving a dark alley, and when they went to check, they found my sister lying on the ground… completely naked…”

She broke down crying at this point. “My poor sister! If only you had come home with us that day, none of this would have ever happened.”

Vera Xavier’s eyes narrowed into slits. Cara Preston would truly stop at nothing to ruin her. The only thing Cara didn’t know was that Nathaniel Nathan had been present for everything that happened that night.

She suddenly felt a chill. Turning her head, she saw Nathaniel Nathan radiating a frigid aura. He looked at the chief and asked, “What’s the penalty for malicious slander?”

The chief replied, “It depends on the severity. If the act is malicious and the victim presses charges, it could lead to a minimum of two days in detention, or as much as a three-year prison sentence.”

Nathaniel Nathan asked Vera, “Do you want to press charges?”

Vera Xavier nodded. Nathaniel Nathan said in a low voice, “On the night of my grandfather’s birthday, Vera was with me the entire time. I was the one who drove her back to the compound, so this so-called incident in a dark alley never happened.”

The pitiful expression Cara Preston had been wearing to gain sympathy and attract Nathaniel Nathan’s attention froze on her face. Her complexion instantly turned deathly pale. She looked absolutely ridiculous.

The chief had initially thought Cara Preston was just a somewhat dramatic girl, but he hadn’t expected her to be so vicious. He shot her a cold glance and said, “With your testimony, there won’t be any issues. Cara Preston, in addition to writing a five-thousand-word self-criticism every day, according to the criminal code, you will be detained for at least two days!”

Cara Preston nearly fainted when she heard that. Her hands clenched into fists. ’Why isn’t Nathaniel here to get me out of this? Why did he come for Vera Xavier, that woman I hate to the core! Vera is nothing but a stupid girl from the countryside. How could she possibly compare to me! If he had just come for me today, I would have given him my whole heart!’

She looked at Nathaniel Nathan with a wounded expression, but he didn’t even bother to spare her a glance. Unable to stop herself, she blurted out, “I…”

“You were going to say that you didn’t do it on purpose, and that this was all just speculation,” Vera Xavier said, cutting her off.

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