Chapter 352
By the time they returned to the Capital, it was already early the next morning.
After wrapping up her report, Sienna headed straight to the hospital for her shift.
She had barely settled into her office when Thea Stanton walked in.
Thea slid a file across the desk. “Celeste’s condition has worsened. The guards at the detention center know how to play the game.
Her leg injuries haven’t received proper medical attention, and it’s starting to take a serious toll on her overall health.
Jarred will undoubtedly pull out all the stops to get her out on medical bail p>
“She’s genuinely injured, so a medical release is both reasonable and legal. If we can’t stop it, we won’t try p>
Sienna leaned back in her chair, a calm smile on her face. “We just need to stick to the plan and follow the next steps. No need to panic or rush p>
Thea’s eyes flashed with approval. “Don’t worry. The trap is set. Everything is ready—we’re just waiting for the perfect moment p>
Meanwhile, at the police headquarters.
Jarred stepped out of the conference room after a grueling debriefing, the air around him thick with a terrifying tension.
His usual lazy arrogance was gone, replaced by an unshakable, icy ferocity etched into his brows.
The moment he exited the building, Declan Ward hurried over.
Behind Declan trailed an elite legal team. They stood at attention, the atmosphere tight with anticipation.
“Boss p>
Jarred climbed into the back of the SUV, his face impassive.
Declan quickly opened his laptop, accessed an encrypted folder, and angled the screen toward Jarred.
“Boss, I managed to get this footage sent over from the detention center p>
Jarred took the laptop, his long fingers swiping across the touchpad. There was only one video file.
He clicked play. The footage was grainy, the camera angle restricted.
Still, it was clear enough to see a figure curled up on a narrow cot in the center of the frame.
Celeste lay on the hard mattress, her hair splayed wildly across the thin pillow, her body huddled tightly together.
She was still wearing yesterday’s skirt, revealing a swollen, deeply bruised leg.
Even through the pixelated video, it was obvious her leg had swollen significantly, with dark, ugly bruises spreading across her skin.
She was trembling uncontrollably.
Even through the screen, her agonizing pain and freezing misery were palpable.
Her lips moved weakly, her consciousness clearly slipping away.
Nobody came to check on her. Nobody changed her dressings, and nobody even offered her a glass of water.
Jarred’s gaze darkened violently, his brow furrowing into a deep crease.
Having navigated the law enforcement system for years, he knew the defention protocols and oversight regulations like the back of his hand.
A legitimate facility would never leave a severely injured suspect to rot without medical care.
They certainly wouldn’t block visitations and purposely withhold treatment.
This level of deliberate sabotage and red tape meant someone with immense power was the squeeze on them from the top down.
It was a blatant move to exploit the detention process to permanently cripple Celeste.
Declan stood nearby, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.
After working for Jarred all these years, he knew his boss’s temper too well.
He wasn’t afraid of Jarred’s anger; he was terrified of this eerie silence.
Like a predatory beast lying in wait—the quieter he was, the more dangerous he became.
Reading the room, Declan spoke with extreme caution. “Boss, we’ve contacted everyone we could and exhausted every option.
Gideon and Lucas have been pulling strings on their end too.
But this time… the person applying the pressure has serious leverage. We can barely even secure a visitation with Ms. Carlyle p>
In the entire Capital, there were only a handful of people with the influence to pull off something like this.
With the patriarch in a coma, everyone knew exactly who was pulling the strings from the shadows.
Declan stole a nervous glance at Jarred before hesitantly adding one more detail.