The Heiress's Comeback-Chapter 343: [ Volume 1] Chaper - Delusions

Esme and Ray exchanged a confused look. The police? It was an odd statement, one that didn’t immediately make sense. They hadn’t expected any such visit. The servant, seeing their confusion, hurried to clarify.

"There’s an officer, Katrina," the servant continued. "She’s come with her team, and... they’re threatening to arrest you, ma’am, madam. They’re accusing you of murder."

Ray and Esme both froze, their eyes locking in shared disbelief. Murder? The word hung heavily in the air, a bitter taste in Esme’s mouth as she processed what the servant had just said.

Ray spoke first, his voice low, yet laced with suspicion. "What do you mean, murder?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "Who’s accusing her of this?"

The servant stood still, hands trembling slightly. "It’s Officer Katrina," he repeated. "She’s here to arrest you... for the murder of someone... and for tampering with evidence, changing it to fool the police, and making sure no one else would find out."

A cold silence followed as Ray and Esme exchanged yet another glance. The shock began to fade, replaced by a quiet, calculating understanding in Esme’s eyes. She nodded once, sharply, before standing up. "I’ll handle it," she said, her voice calm and composed despite the storm that was brewing outside.

Ray didn’t follow her. He stayed behind, his gaze fixed on the door where Esme had just exited. He knew this was about to get complicated.

Esme made her way down the staircase with measured steps, the weight of the situation sinking in with every movement. When she reached the bottom, she saw Katrina standing there, her smug smile the first thing Esme noticed. The officer turned, locking eyes with Esme as she spoke with a sense of triumph. "President Esme, you are under arrest."

Esme’s lips barely moved, her voice sharp but controlled. "May I ask, on what grounds are you arresting me?" Her words were ice-cold, a direct challenge.

Katrina’s smile widened, the smugness practically radiating from her. "You are charged with intentional murder," she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "And for tampering with evidence, manipulating it to cover up your tracks and making sure the police were misled."

Esme’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t flinch or recoil from the accusation. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, her gaze unwavering, as she prepared to confront the storm that was only just beginning to rise.

Katrina stood there, her gaze unwavering as she looked at Esme with a mixture of disbelief and triumph. Her lips curled into a small, mocking smile before she pulled out her phone, tapping the screen and playing a video. The footage flickered to life, showing the burning of Ray’s room, flames licking at the walls, the smoke rising thick into the air. The video was clear, vivid—a damning piece of evidence.

Esme watched it calmly, her face betraying nothing. Her eyes flicked briefly to Katrina, but she remained composed, unfazed by the video that seemed to confirm the charges. When the video finished, Katrina looked at Esme with amusement.

"Well, Ms. Esme," she began, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "you might think our officers are just fools, huh?"

Esme’s gaze never wavered. "So?" she replied flatly, meeting Katrina’s eyes with an almost bored expression.

Katrina raised an eyebrow, her lips curving in a smirk. She had expected Esme to deny it, to throw up some flimsy excuse, but instead, Esme’s calm acceptance only seemed to mock her. "Wow, you really are bold, huh? Here I thought you’d be like everyone else, denying it, making excuses. But here you are, just accepting it."

Esme didn’t flinch. Her voice was steady, cutting through the tension in the air like a knife. "I did it. So what? It’s not like it’s wrong to burn your husband’s room."

The amusement in Katrina’s expression faltered for a moment, her eyes narrowing, disbelief turning into something darker. "Excuse me?" she said, her tone sharp, as if she couldn’t fathom what she had just heard. "You didn’t just burn the room, Esme. You burned the person inside."

Esme’s eyebrow arched. "What the hell? What kind of rubbish are you spouting?" she demanded, her voice cold and dismissive. It was clear that this was not the confession Katrina had hoped for.

Katrina’s patience snapped, her anger bubbling to the surface. "You think we’re just fools, don’t you?" she snapped, her eyes flashing. "It was you who filed the complaint, saying your husband was burned. It was you who informed the police. And if you’ve forgotten, the investigation is still ongoing. And now—now—we have the evidence. We found the truth, Esme. You’re the one who did it."

Esme’s eyes never left Katrina’s, and her expression remained unreadable, but there was a faint hint of amusement in the way she regarded the officer. "Who said my husband is dead?" she asked, her tone calm, even casual.

Katrina’s face stiffened, her expression turning stern. "What do you mean by that?" she demanded, her voice cold with suspicion. The calmness in Esme’s voice only made her more wary.

Esme met her gaze with an unsettling calm, the tension between them thickening as the words hung in the air. Something wasn’t right—something Katrina wasn’t seeing.

Esme glanced at her watch with a faint smirk, her tone dripping with mock sympathy. "Miss Katrina, are you suffering from delusions?"

Katrina, taken aback by Esme’s calm demeanor, narrowed her eyes. But Esme wasn’t finished. Her voice was steady, but the sarcasm was impossible to miss. "This is the first time we’ve met, and now you’re accusing me of murder? Filing complaints, no less? Are you sure you’re not having a little episode? Hallucinations, perhaps?"

The nerve of her! Katrina’s patience shattered. "Shut your mouth!" she barked, her face turning red with anger. "You think you can just say anything? You’re insulting the entire police force! You will come with us—calmly—or face the consequences."

Esme didn’t flinch. Her voice was unnervingly calm, almost too smooth. "Excuse me," she said, a dangerous sweetness in her tone. "Have you taken your medicine today? You really should calm down."