The next day, in the police station.

"Call me if there's anything." Brian repeatedly reminded Joanne. To cooperate with the police's investigation, he had to send Joanne to the police station in the early morning.

Joanne finally knew that Brian could also repeat himself again and again, so she nodded heavily. "I know."

Gavin coughed and whispered, "Don't worry. I've arranged everything."

In other words, even if Joanne was held as a suspect in the police station, no one would be hard on her.

Brian finally felt relieved and left. Once he walked out of the door of the police station, a barrage of reporters swarmed toward him, throwing the same old harsh questions at him.

Brian didn't say a word and his handsome face looked so cold that people dared to approach him at all. However, the reporters were not afraid and kept asking how Brian would handle this and face it in the future.

Even when he got into the car, the photographers still didn't give up and snapped many pictures of the car that was driving away.

The reporters were quick and immediately took out their phones to call. "Brian has been in the police station the entire night. It sounds like nothing, but it's at least some kind of progress. Publish this first!"

More and more people had been watching the news about Joanne's involvement in the murder case. Thus, when the news broke out, another round of criticism emerged on the Internet.

More and more people started to mention Rosalyn: When Joanne is detained, it's the best time for her to steal Brian back...

Rosalyn stopped posting on X.

It would degrade her status as a rising star if she commented on Joanne's involvement in the murder at this time. Moreover, she would avoid meeting Brian during this time. If she slipped between Brian and Joanne at this time, she was foolish.

However, Rosalyn's staying silent couldn't stop the people from attacking Joanne online. The so-called eye-popping inside stories of Joanne were spreading all over the Internet. Everyone said that if Joanne was convicted, Brian would divorce her, and now Joanne must have broken down.

In fact, Joanne stayed calm.

When she received further investigation, lie detection, and cooperated to obtain evidence, she stayed calm all the time. Moreover, she was in a good state of mind and thought clearly, which made it convenient for the police's investigation.

Between all the routine investigation, Captain Turner managed to ask if she knew the reaction to her on the Internet, she smilingly nodded. "I've read those posts."

"In fact, we can hold a press conference to clarify that you're still a suspect, not convicted yet," said Captain Turner, "At least it can stop the rumors online for a little while."

"No need." Joanne said, "With that kind of energy to deal with the netizens, you might as well focus on the case. Captain, I want to read Mia's autopsy report. Can you help me?"

She wanted to know that before Mia died, what on earth had happened to her. Maybe she could find a clue in the report.

Captain Turner nodded and led Joanne to an old medical examiner in the office. Soon, they had an answer.

"She had used drugs before she died and had been in an abnormal mental and physical state. What killed her was loss of blood." The old medical examiner handed the report to Joanne and added, "And, we didn't find why you suddenly blacked out. Shawn suspected that you'd accidentally exhaled something, but we'd teste the air, and it turned out to be normal. When you walked into the room, did you notice any strange smell?"

Joanne recalled and shook her head. "No, I didn't."

When Joanne and Shawn first worked here, the old medical examiner taught them. He knew Joanne and thus knew she was a very keen observer. If there was any strange smell, she wouldn't have ignored it.

"The autopsy report can't prove you innocent." The old medical examiner sighed. "Now, the most important thing is to find the bunch of junkies you mentioned."

However, they didn't find a single one of them in the room that day.

The old house was not equipped with a surveillance system and there was no security camera nearby. Thus, the police could only start with Mia's call logs and social circle, but in vain.

As if Joanne had made that up.

Therefore, another rumor flew in the office: To get away with murder, she'd been misleading the entire investigation.

After a whole day, the investigation was leading them nowhere, and Captain Turner asked Joanne to return to the hospital.

It wasn't convenient for Brian to pick up Joanne, so she left at the back door of the office in a police car. At the entrance of the hospital, she got off and walked toward the inpatient unit through a green garden.

Until seeing Patricia did Joanne realize something she had forgotten-Steven was here. "When Patricia comes to visit Steven, she'll see me, then... everyone will know I'm in the hospital."

It was too late to avoid her. With her eyes widened, Patricia already dashed over. "Joanne! Why are you here? You're a murder suspect, and you should be locked in the police station right now!"

Two policemen responsible for watching Joanne feared that Patricia might hurt Joanne in the heat of passion. They came forward to stop Patricia. "Mrs. Jiang, please calm down. Miss Scott is here for medical examinations."

"Then you can find an excuse to linger here long?" Patricia looked menacing and was making threatening gestures as if she could eat Joanne alive. "You're taking advantage of the loopholes in the law! And I'm going to call the media!"

First, the policemen wanted to stop Patricia, but right now, she was nearly a lioness out of control and would bite whatever was in her way. "Try me! Try laying a finger on me! I'll file sexual harassment right away. And I won't give up even if the police refuse me. I'll keep filing complaints until you lose your job!"

Joanne knew that Patricia was a woman of her word, so she signaled at the two policemen to stop. "Never mind."

Anyway, she couldn't hide from the media for long. Reporters were all so sophisticated that they would sniff something soon and seek her out in the hospital.

Patricia sneered and someone had just picked up the phone. Therefore, in a loud voice, she told them that Joanne had pretended ill to hide in the hospital and they should all come here.

In fear of a bad effect on the hospital's daily management, no sooner did she return her ward than she called Brian. Then, Brian told her. "Stay there and wait for me."

Brian sent more bodyguards to the hospital, and they almost arrived at the same time with the media. They managed to block the reporters outside the hospital gate and through all the cameras, Brian rushed to the ward at his fast pace.

Standing beside the ward windows, Joanne slightly pulled the curtains and was looking outside the hospital gate. She could see the reporters were restless and Patricia was excited.

Brian walked over and closed the curtains. "Don't mind them."

"Not such a good sight, really." Joanne pretended relaxed and twisted around to face Brian. "Why are you here so early? Shouldn't you be busy today?"

Before Brian had the time to answer, noise burst out outside the room in the hospital hallway.

"Mrs. Jiang, please, listen to us. You'll affect other patients in the room." A nurse was trying to persuade her while being nice.

"I don't care!" Patricia was screaming out loud, regardless of anything. "If you don't tell me, I'll turn all the rooms upside down to find her! I'll find Joanne, that murderer!"

"Mrs. Jiang!" The nurse sounded anxious now. "Can you be responsible if you affect the other patients?"

"Responsible for what? Who will I affect? I'm just looking for a patient here!" Patricia snorted. "Kid, if you know what's good for you, you'd better tell me which room Joanne is in! I'll skin that girl myself!"

Joanne was about to stride out of the room when Brian dragged her. "I'll go."

She smiled. "Mia is gone, and Scott Group is on the verge of bankruptcy. Patricia isn't afraid of anything right now. Now, she only wants me dead and nothing else. You can't handle her."

Then, Joanne stormed out of the ward. Then, seeing Joanne, Patricia finally quieted down. Sneering, she walked toward Joanne. "I was right. You're hiding in the hospital. Joanne, you have to pay with your life!" She raised her hand and was going to slap hard on Joanne's face-

Before Patricia's hand fell, Joanne stopped her halfway and clutched Patricia's hand. "I didn't do anything to Mia. You're looking for the wrong person if you're seeking revenge for her."

"How dare you deny it!" While she was struggling in Joanne's hand, Patricia's eyes grew red with hatred and tears streamed down her face. "Joanne, I won't let you off! I won't let you off even if I die!" Gritting her teeth, every word she spat contained enormous hatred.

Joanne knew what it felt like to lose a loved one. Therefore, she couldn't say anything harsh in front of Patricia's tears. "Before I passed out, Mia had been fine. I don't know what happened after that either, and the policeman in charge of the case will tell you after the investigation."

"The police? They're all on your side! Otherwise, how would they help you hide in the hospital? And, how will you still look fine right now?" Suddenly, Patricia burst into tears and collapsed in front of Joanne. "Joanne, give my daughter back to me, give my Mia back to me..."

Joanne's fingers moved, however, in the end, she didn't help Patricia up from the ground. Finally, Brian signaled the two policemen to pick Patricia up and escorted her downstairs.

The nurses heaved a sigh of relief and were about leave when Joanne stopped them and asked hesitantly, "Do you know which room Mr. Scott, Steven, is in?"

"Room 708."

Brian walked over. "You'll visit him downstairs."

Joanne nodded. "Yes. There's something I need to tell him."

"I'll go with you." Brian held Joanne's hand and walked her downstairs.

Seeing Joanne, Patricia became excited again. It was Steven who finally stopped her.

Steven seemed to age more than a decade overnight and the way he looked at Joanne wasn't as fierce as before. "What do you want?"

"I didn't kill Mia." Joanne didn't bother to explain further and just told the fact. "I really didn't like Mia, but I never wanted her dead."

Steven closed his eyes and sounded desperate in a harsh voice as if he had lost the last thing he owned. "I know."

Joanne didn't continue. She clenched Brian's hand quietly and dragged him to leave.

Behind her, Patricia was screaming. "What do you know? You actually believe she is innocent? She had that knife that killed Mia. She must have pretended to pass out!"

Steven didn't say a word.

Though he didn't have that connection between father and daughter with Joanne, his blood ran in Joanne's body. He had watched Joanne grow and knew that she was not a fundamentally cruel person.