Chapter 419 - 422: Stalemate

At Claire Sterling’s command, two staff members wearing disposable medical gloves stepped forward.

They carried sterile collection kits, disposable cotton swabs, saline-soaked cotton pads, and sealed evidence bags.

"..." A flicker of panic flashed through Claire Bennett’s eyes, but it was instantly masked by a look of wronged helplessness. She appeared shocked and humiliated.

She was restrained and couldn’t move, forced to submit to the examination.

The staff drew near. Using the bright lights of the banquet hall, they carefully inspected the surface of Claire Bennett’s nails, the grooves along the sides, and the whorls of her fingertips, searching for any visible powder or discolored residue.

After confirming there were no obvious traces to the naked eye, they took cotton swabs soaked in sterile saline solution and repeatedly wiped the inside of each nail and the crevices along the edges.

From thumb to pinky, they sampled each hand, using a separate swab for each finger to avoid cross-contamination.

Once they had swabbed her nails, they used new swabs to gently wipe her fingertips and the folds of her skin, meticulously covering every corner where the powder might be hidden.

After the samples were collected, the staff took the sealed evidence bags and performed a preliminary comparison on the spot using a rapid residue screening kit.

A few minutes later, the results were in.

The staff member put away the test kit with a serious expression, turned to Claire Sterling and Mrs. Flynn, and bowed to deliver the report.

"Mrs. Flynn, Mrs. Lancaster, after swabbing and sampling the fingertips and nail crevices on-site, the preliminary rapid test did not detect any abnormal drug residue."

A low murmur of shock swept through the banquet hall.

The tension in Claire Bennett’s heart suddenly eased. Her eyes grew even redder, her nose tingled, and her aggrieved sobs were choked with tremors.

"Now the results are out. I was truly framed. From start to finish, I was just properly offering a toast, fulfilling my duty as a guest. I never had any ill intentions."

Mrs. Bennett immediately stepped forward to support her daughter’s arm, her face a mixture of anger and distress. She turned to look at Claire Sterling and Mrs. Flynn.

"The sampling and testing were so thorough, and they found nothing. You can’t just suspect my daughter based on pure speculation and ruin her innocence and reputation."

Claire Bennett lowered her gaze, her shoulders trembling slightly, putting on an appearance of being weak, helpless, and deeply wronged.

’She had actually anticipated that Claire Sterling would target her nails. The moment the toast was over, she had gone straight to the restroom to clean them, leaving no trace behind.’

’The on-site test was just a preliminary rapid screening; it couldn’t possibly reveal anything right away.’

Claire Sterling’s face was as cold as if coated in frost. Her sharp gaze was locked on Claire Bennett, and a heavy feeling tightened in her chest.

Mrs. Flynn’s expression was also exceptionally grave. The situation, which had seemed like a sure thing, was now at a stalemate.

The guests present began to whisper amongst themselves. Their gazes toward Claire Bennett held more sympathy, while their looks toward Claire Sterling and Mrs. Flynn were tinged with a subtle curiosity.

Claire Bennett raised her head and looked at Claire Sterling through misty, tear-filled eyes. Her tone was weak, yet it carried a hint of righteous indignation.

"Mrs. Lancaster, I respect you as an elder, and I’m worried about Mrs. Lancaster’s health. But the test results are right here. How can you conclude that I’m the one responsible without any proof? Isn’t that too rash?"

Looking at the woman’s pretense, Claire Sterling felt not a shred of panic. Instead, a cold, mocking smile slowly spread across her lips.

She took two steps forward. With every soft click of her high heels on the polished marble floor, it was like a heavy hammer striking Claire Bennett’s heart.

She didn’t relent and let them go. Instead, she raised her eyes to signal the security guards beside her, her tone icy and indisputable.

"Watch them. They are not to take a single step out of this banquet hall."

Claire Bennett was now truly panicked, and her anger and sense of injustice reached a peak.

’The Claire Sterling of the past would never have dared to humiliate her in front of everyone.’

’But now, for Wren Sutton’s sake, she was capable of anything.’

"The test results prove my innocence! Why won’t you let me leave?"

Claire Sterling’s gaze was like a knife, piercing through her facade of weakness.

"Just because no residue was found, that means you didn’t do it? Claire Bennett, do you take everyone here for a fool?"

Claire Bennett forced herself to remain calm, tears streaming down her face as she choked out, "But the test results are clear. I didn’t hide any drugs. What more do you want? Must you force me to confess to something I never did?"

"You calculated that I would check your nails on the spot, so you cleaned away all the traces in advance. You planned to use the negative result to turn the tables and accuse me of framing you."

Claire Sterling’s words hit Claire Bennett right where it hurt.

Claire Bennett’s face went deathly pale, but she clenched her jaw tightly.

’As long as there was no hard physical evidence, she absolutely could not confess.’

’If she denied it to the death, no one could force a conviction.’

"What do I have to do to prove my innocence? Do I have to die to prove my integrity before you’ll finally believe me?"

Claire Bennett was a pitiable sight, weeping and speaking at the same time. The uninformed guests had already begun to sigh softly, their faces showing expressions of sympathy.

Claire Sterling’s expression was frosty, and her aura was so intense it was suffocating.

A woman’s intuition is incredibly sharp. She was now certain that Claire Bennett was the culprit. She knew she had cleaned away the evidence in advance and was acting out of a guilty conscience, desperate to leave.

However, there was truly no concrete evidence to present at the moment.

Even so, Claire Sterling had no intention of letting her go.

She stared at Claire Bennett with a sharp gaze, her tone unyielding, not backing down an inch.

"I’ll say it again. The fact that no residue was detected only proves you are meticulous and destroyed the evidence in advance. It doesn’t mean you’re innocent."

"Until this entire matter is thoroughly investigated, neither you nor your mother will take a single step out of this banquet hall."

And so, the situation reached a complete impasse.

Claire Bennett cried and proclaimed her innocence, trying to win the crowd’s sympathy.

Mrs. Bennett argued forcefully, refusing to accept being detained without cause.

The guests murmured among themselves, each with their own opinion.

Claire Sterling remained firm, willing to endure the crowd’s criticism rather than let them go.

No one was willing to back down, and no one could completely convince the other. The banquet hall descended into an awkward and tense standoff.

No one wanted to escalate the situation and ruin the dignity of the Flynn Family’s 100-day celebration, but no one could persuade Claire Sterling to yield either.

Just then, someone quietly took out their phone, slipped into the restroom, and anonymously called the police.

Before long, several police cars pulled up slowly outside The Zenith Hotel, and a few uniformed officers strode into the banquet hall.

The sound of their footsteps silenced the noisy chatter, and the entire room fell quiet instantly.

With the police on the scene, the nature of the situation changed completely.

What was once a private confrontation at a banquet, a personal dispute between wealthy families, had now become an official police matter with the authorities’ intervention. Claire Sterling could no longer rely on her imposing presence and personal feelings to detain and deal with Claire Bennett privately.

Mrs. Flynn’s expression shifted slightly, and Claire Sterling frowned.

Claire Sterling had intended to use the situation to forcibly detain her, investigate privately, slowly gain leverage over Claire Bennett, and settle old and new scores all at once.

But with the police here, everything had to be done by the book, by procedure. She could no longer act on her own authority.

Seeing the police arrive, a secret flicker of glee flashed through Claire Bennett’s eyes.

’She knew the police were her amulet.’

’Without concrete evidence, the police couldn’t possibly let Claire Sterling arbitrarily detain a citizen.’

’From now on, the situation would be governed by legal procedure. No matter how powerful Claire Sterling was, she couldn’t overstep her bounds, or she would bring shame upon the Lancaster family.’

The tense standoff was completely broken by the arrival of the police officers.

The guests subconsciously parted to create a path.

With serious expressions, the officers inquired about the cause and course of events and reviewed the results of the on-site rapid test from the nail sampling.

A staff member reported truthfully, "On-site, detailed samples were taken from Miss Bennett’s fingernails and fingertips on both hands. No abnormal drug residue was detected."

The officers then questioned the guests present.

No one had personally seen Claire Bennett put anything into Wren Sutton’s glass, and there was no direct physical evidence to prove she was the perpetrator.

The only thing they had was the timeline: she had approached Wren Sutton to offer a toast, and Wren Sutton had suddenly felt unwell afterward.

That, along with the crowd’s subjective suspicions, was not enough to constitute concrete evidence for a conviction.

Claire Sterling’s face was grim as she gave the officers a clear and logical account of what happened, pointing out that Claire Bennett was the prime suspect, her behavior was suspicious, she was eager to leave afterward, and she had cleaned her hands in advance.

The officer replied professionally, "Mrs. Lancaster, I understand your concern for your daughter-in-law as a family member, and I agree that this Miss Bennett is a person of interest."

"However, investigations require evidence. Currently, there are no eyewitnesses, no physical evidence of drug residue, and no direct leads. We cannot make an arrest or press charges based on suspicion and subjective speculation alone."

Claire Sterling couldn’t swallow this. "Officer, setting aside today’s events, Claire Bennett previously impersonated a relative of the Lancaster family to visit my son in the hospital. Her intentions were malicious, specifically to sow discord. We have hard proof of that. Can’t you charge her for that?"

The officer shook his head helplessly. "I’m sorry, Mrs. Lancaster, but what you’re describing is a personal matter. We have no jurisdiction over it."

"!!!"

Hearing this, the tension in Claire Bennett’s heart completely dissolved, though her face was still streaked with aggrieved tears.

The officers routinely took statements from Claire Bennett and Mrs. Bennett, carefully recording their identification information.

"If new evidence comes to light, we will require your full cooperation and expect you to come in for questioning at any time."

Claire Bennett nodded with a sob. "I’ll cooperate fully."

Having said what needed to be said and completed the procedures, the officers released them according to regulations.

"There is insufficient evidence at present, so we cannot continue to detain you. You are free to leave, but you must keep your contact information active, be available for summons at any time, and you are not permitted to disappear or leave the city without authorization."

Mrs. Bennett let out a long sigh of relief and immediately supported Claire Bennett.

"We were falsely accused from the start. Now even the police have declared us innocent. Finally, our names can be cleared."

Claire Bennett kept her head down, deliberately affecting a heartbroken expression, but still gave a slight bow to Claire Sterling and Mrs. Flynn.

"My conscience has always been clear, and I am willing to cooperate with any follow-up investigation. I only hope that Mrs. Lancaster recovers soon, and I hope that you two elders will refrain from casually slandering my reputation based on mere speculation in the future."

After speaking, she didn’t linger, turning slowly with Mrs. Bennett to walk step by step out of the banquet hall.

As she passed by Claire Sterling’s side, a furtive glance from the corner of her eye held a hidden trace of provocation and relief.

’She had won the gamble.’

’No hard evidence, no residue. Based on suspicion alone, no one could touch her.’

Claire Sterling watched Claire Bennett’s departing back with cold eyes, clenching her fists in a mixture of anger and helplessness.

’Just let her walk away like that?’

Mrs. Flynn sighed softly, her expression grave. "This is all we can do for now. Procedurally speaking, we really can’t hold her."

"Just because we can’t hold her doesn’t mean this is over," Claire Sterling said, her voice icy. "She may have gotten lucky today by destroying the evidence, but I refuse to believe she can be that meticulous forever."

"The police have already listed her as a key person of interest. It doesn’t matter that she wasn’t charged on the spot. I have plenty of patience. I’ll wait for her to slip up."

"Claire Bennett, I’ll remember you."