Chapter 15%
It was Ronald who reacted first and quickly put on a fawning smile. “Officers, what brings you here? We never called the police, and we haven’t done anything wrong”
The chief officer didn’t bother with pleasantries, and spat, “We received a report that you were involved in human trafficking. And from what I see, it’s not just trafficking–we’re looking at abuse, too. Where did you find the guts for this?”
Ronald turned pale with fear and waved his hands frantically “Officer, this must be a misunderstanding! We’re honest, law–abiding people. There’s no way we’d do something like thath
The officer’s sharp gaze shifted to Ins. “You tell us.
Iris clung to this chance like a drowning person grasping a lifeline. Her voice was firm and unwavering. “I was kidnapped and sold. The trafficker who took me has been caught, and he personally gave my biological parents‘ information to the police”
The officer nodded “We know Your biological parents were the ones who reported it. We’re here to take you home.”
Iris‘ eyes lit up “Officer, where are they?”
“They’re on their way. They’ll be here any moment.”
Ignoring the pain in her bruised body, Itis limped toward the front door.
She stared into the distance, her heart pounding in anticipation.
She didn’t know how long she stood there, but eventually, two figures emerged in the darkness–a man and a woman, both hurrying forward
As they came closer their faces became clearer.X
The man reached her first.E
The moment their eyes met, Iris felt her throat tighten, tears threatening to spill.
His face bore a striking resemblance to hers–handsome and full of energy, though exhaustion lined his features from the long journey.
His voice was thick with emotion. “My daughter”
“Dad” ins couldn’t hold back any longer. She burst into tears and threw herself into his arms.)
Ins‘ biological mother, Margaret, arrived moments later, sobbing uncontrollably. “My baby… I finally found you.”
The three of them held onto each other, overwhelmed by the joy of their long–awaited reunion.
For a moment, they forgot everything else–even the police waiting inside.
It wasn’t until the officers called them back that they stepped inside the house.
As soon as they entered, they were met with the sight of Stella rolling on the floor, wailing and flailing like a spoiled child
“Officers! We had nothing to do with trafficking! We adopted her–we didn’t know she was kidnapped! We’re victims too! We didn’t do anything wrong!”
Then, noticing Iris‘ biological parents, Stella immediately switched tactics, putting on a pitiful act.
“I raised your daughter with so much hardship! Even if I don’t deserve credit, don’t I at least deserve some gratitude? You can’t just cast me aside like this!”
Neither of Ins‘ parents responded. Their faces remained cold and unreadable.
The officers exchanged glances. The situation was messier than they had expected.
After a long silence, the chief officer finally spoke. “Why don’t you all discuss how you want to handle this?”
Ins‘ father, Dominic, nodded. “We’ll take care of it. Thank you, officers.”
Hearing that there was room for negotiation, Stella immediately scrambled up from the floor and stretched out five fingers. “Five thousand dollars! Give us five thousand, and we’ll let her go. We swear we won’t cause any trouble after that”
Margaret seemed taken aback by how little they were asking for Without hesitation, she pulled out the money from her bag li She held the cash tightly, her voice serious. “Are you sure? Once you take this money, you’ll never come after us again?”
Stella nodded eagerly. “Towear”
“Mom, what are you saying?”
A voice rang out suddenly
Wendel, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.k
He stepped forward, blocking his mother. “You’re just going to take the money and let Iris go?”
Seeing her son trying to interfere, Stella grew anxious. “And why not? Do you know how long we’d have to work to earn five thousand dollars? Why wouldn’t we take 171
Wendel’s expression was unreadable. He turned to look at tris, his voice laced with something unreadable. “You’re really leaving? You won’t regret 17′′8
224 PM
