Ella shot up from her seat, glaring coldly at the two officers who entered the room. "On what grounds are you holding me here?"
One of the men smirked, his tone equally cold. "On what grounds? You abused an elderly man—your own grandfather at that! You beat Old Mr. Carter into serious injury, and you think we should just let you walk free to harm more people?"
Ella was speechless. She knew the bodyguards must have called Eric, but what puzzled her was why she had been sitting here for over half an hour with no sign of any movement.
Was he too busy to answer his phone? Maybe his phone was off, or worse—was he with another woman?
Ella shook her head, frustrated at herself for even thinking like that. How could she doubt Eric like that?
"What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? Weren’t you so arrogant just a moment ago? You’re being held here because someone important said so!"
The middle-aged officer was clearly inexperienced, speaking brashly and revealing things he shouldn’t have.
Ella’s expression hardened. "You’re accusing me of abusing an elderly person. Where’s your proof? Do you have any witnesses? Who saw it happen?"
"Old Mr. Carter felt it himself—what more do you need? Witnesses?" The officer sneered. "Enough talk, let’s take her downstairs."
As the officers approached, Ella had no choice but to walk toward the exit. Once outside, her two bodyguards were waiting, looking anxious.
"Ma’am, please wait a little longer. Mr. Nelson is on his way!" one of them said, his words warming Ella’s heart.
So, Eric was coming after all!
But the nearby officers and staff overheard and couldn’t help but mock her. "Ma’am? Really? You act like you’re some fancy wife from a rich family."
"I heard she’s just Mr. Nelson’s lover. Word is, Mr. Nelson is with the woman he truly loves right now."
"Yeah, what a joke. So young and already putting on airs!"
"She even had the nerve to beat her own grandfather! Young people are getting more violent by the day!"
"So vicious. How could Mr. Nelson be with someone like her?"
"See that? That’s your man, right? He’s off with another woman in a hotel room as we speak!"
A gossiping woman approached, flaunting her brightly colored phone. On the screen, there was a post from Twitter, showing Eric supposedly checking into a hotel with a new lover. The images were of Eric’s back, unmistakably him, and the woman beside him was slim and elegant, her long hair draped over her shoulders like a college student.
Ella’s heart sank as she glanced at her bodyguards.
The two guards looked back at her, bewildered, unsure of what she was thinking. Ella pressed her lips together but remained silent.
Deep down, she refused to believe that Eric would be involved with another woman, but the Twitter post... it had been posted that morning.
Why hadn’t she heard about it until now?
The surrounding men, apparently just as gossipy, threw disdainful looks her way, their comments biting.
"See? She claims to be Mr. Nelson’s wife, but clearly, this woman is the real deal!" A uniformed woman sneered, her words dripping with sarcasm.
Ella was left speechless. When had she ever claimed to be Mrs. Nelson? She’d worn a diamond ring, and people assumed she and Eric were married, but that was it.
"Take her inside, now!" the middle-aged man snapped, waving his hand impatiently.
"You can’t do this! Mr. Nelson will be here soon, and he’ll bail her out," one of the bodyguards said icily.
"Are you trying to obstruct justice? Because if you are, we’ll arrest you too!" the officer barked arrogantly.
Just then, Richard walked in, and Ella’s eyes lit up, though she still felt a tinge of disappointment—it wasn’t Eric.
"Wait a moment, Mr. Nelson is on his way," Richard said calmly.
"And who are you? Get out of here, stop wasting our time!" The middle-aged officer was visibly annoyed.
Ella pressed her lips together, almost wanting to laugh. Richard and Eric—what were they up to? Richard was from the influential Martinez family, his father a very powerful figure in the central government. Yet, here was someone who didn’t recognize him...
Ella silently pitied the deputy chief for a moment.
"When I say wait, you’d better wait. Trust me, doing so will guarantee your career takes off," Richard smiled, eyes narrowing as he studied the deputy chief.
It seemed like Richard was sizing him up, likely drawing inspiration for one of his films.
"Get this lunatic out of here!" the officer barked, growing impatient, signaling for a few men to escort Richard out.
Ella couldn’t help but laugh as she watched Richard, like a dog being shooed away. This guy was definitely fishing for material for a movie! Otherwise, why else would he be putting on that exaggerated expression of grief? It was clearly meant to mock these sycophants.
"What’s so funny? Take her away! Old Mr. Carter has filed charges for intentional assault. From now on, she’s nothing but a criminal!" the middle-aged officer spat, signaling for his men to escort Ella.
"Who are you calling a criminal?" A cold voice echoed from the doorway. The officer was about to explode in anger when he turned around and saw a man dressed in black, hands in his pockets, his face striking and hard, his eyes brimming with a menacing chill.
The officer’s expression stiffened as he realized—Eric had arrived!
But wasn’t the internet buzzing about Eric being in a hotel with some mysterious woman? How was he here now?
"Mr. Nelson! Ha... ha... why are you here? Please, have a seat!" The officer’s arrogant demeanor evaporated instantly, replaced with a nervous grin as he quickly pulled out a chair.
Ella felt warmth surge through her chest. He had arrived, just in time, when she was about to be dragged away in cuffs.
This had been a rough period for her, filled with endless turmoil. The situation with Chloe had reached such a breaking point that she didn’t even know how to resolve it anymore.
"My wife committed a crime, did she? You must have quite the authority to be dragging my wife away," Eric said icily, glancing at the middle-aged officer as he made his way to Ella’s side.
The crowd, previously indulging in gossip, fell silent, especially the smug woman who had been showing off the scandalous news on her phone. Her screen still displayed the rumor of Eric and his supposed lover.
"You came?" Ella bit her lip, "Don’t come too close, I stink."
Eric glanced at her shoulder and, without a word, calmly pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping the mess off.
Ella was momentarily stunned. Didn’t he have mild OCD? The smell alone was making her want to gag, yet here he was cleaning it off her.
"Ha... Mr. Nelson, it’s ... Mrs. Nelson was accused by Mr. Sean Carter of intentional assault, so... there was a bit of a misunderstanding. Mrs. Nelson, please don’t take it to heart, it’s all just a misunderstanding!" The officer was now all smiles, trying to backpedal, realizing he had likely overstepped.
Richard stood to the side, observing the exchange, glancing between the officer and Eric with amusement.