Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism novel Chapter 561

In other words, the police either needed to catch the culprit red-handed today, or the matter would have to be discreetly resolved.

Zelena was determined to protect Celeste.

Celeste had been by her side for years and knew too much.

If something happened to Celeste, it would create significant problems for Zelena as well.

Celeste voiced her confusion. "It's really strange. Why is Polly so clever? How did she know to prepare for this as if she knew someone was going to harm her? Has she been framed before?"

This question puzzled Zelena too.

If it weren't for that pesky plush doll, Polly wouldn't have been able to clear her name even if she tried her best.

How had she become so cautious?

She must have been warned in advance.

But by whom?

Could it be Violeta?

Violeta's face flashed through Zelena's mind, and her eyes narrowed.

Come to think of it, only Violeta could have pulled this off.

Zelena didn't have time to dwell on it further.

She instructed Celeste, "Anyway, you should go to the dressing room and change your clothes quickly. Hurry!"

"Sure!"

Meanwhile, the police and the others watched the video that had been uploaded to the cloud from Polly's phone.

In the short five-minute video, there was a clip of less than thirty seconds showing a figure wearing a black hat and a blue medical mask.

In the footage, it was clear that this person placed a shiny necklace into the pocket of the makeup bag and then quickly left.

"Here it is! Look, it's this person! This is the one who put the necklace in the makeup bag. We didn't steal it—now the truth is out!"

A lot of effort and money had gone into planning this offline event. There was no way they could just cancel it.

The event's original start time had already been delayed by more than half an hour.

Outside, the fans were getting restless, their emotions nearing a breaking point. If they didn't provide a reasonable explanation, the trending news could seriously damage the company's reputation.

Gilbert couldn't bear such a huge responsibility, so he wanted to smooth things over.

Unfortunately, the police had already been called, and the case was under investigation—it couldn't just be dismissed.

The police officer looked calmly and sternly at the person in charge, enunciating clearly, "This is a case of deliberate framing involving a large sum of money. The circumstances are serious, potentially involving charges of false accusation and framing. This isn't something that can just end because you say so. Ms. Tillery, please hand over the video memory card. All individuals involved will need to undergo further police investigation."

This was exactly what Polly wanted to happen. She handed over the memory card without hesitation.

After all, she had backup videos on her phone, so it didn't matter if she handed over the memory card.

Gilbert looked anxious, unsure of what to do.

At that moment, Margot suddenly remembered something and said, "Officer, I think I've seen someone wearing the same clothes as the person in the video earlier at the event."