Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 1403

Chapter 1403: My hand slipped

"Get off of me!" Patricia screamed as she was once again slammed onto the table, her hands wrenched behind her. "Stop! This is illegal!"

The officer, cuffing her once more, gazed at her coldly. "Miss Miller, if you weren’t being aggressive, this wouldn’t be happening." He pressed her wrist harder against her back, drawing a shriek from her.

"You’re hurting me!" she screamed, nearly biting her tongue from the pain in her wrist. "Ouch! It hurts!"

The detective in the room simply watched as the officer restrained Patricia once again. "Miss Miller, if I were you, I’d calm down. For now, we’re detaining you. Hopefully, the next time we meet, you’ll be more cooperative in answering our questions."

Despite the searing pain in her wrist and shoulder from the officer’s rough handling, Patricia glared at the detective, her teeth clenched. Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill onto her cheeks. It wasn’t just anger or frustration tightening her chest—it was the sheer, crushing weight of helplessness.

Why?

Why was this happening when she was finally trying to do the right thing?

Why, just when she had finally chosen the right path, was the universe testing her?

Why... was she so powerless?

Above all, why today? When she had her final interview?!

Her vision blurred, and she bit down on her lip to keep the tears at bay. A sinking feeling pooled in her stomach—this was just the beginning of a nightmare. She had been asking for a phone call, but these officers ignored her. And she doubted they had even contacted a lawyer, despite her requests.

Just as Patricia squeezed her eyes shut, a single tear escaping down her cheek, a loud BAM! echoed through the room.

She flinched, eyes flying open. There, a figure stood in the doorway.

Her vision was still blurred with tears, but she could feel the sudden drop in temperature. When she blinked hard and cleared her sight, her brows shot up.

"Pen...ny?" she whispered, making both the officer and the detective turn toward the door.

"Uh, excuse me. You are not allowed—" The detective took a step toward the door, only to stop when he noticed a colleague standing beside Penny, holding the door open. The second detective shook his head in disapproval, silently warning him.

Penny barely spared the detective a glance before shifting her gaze to the table. Patricia was pinned against it, one wrist already cuffed, while the officer prepared to secure the other.

A cold, unreadable expression settled over Penny’s face as she looked at Patricia. Then, without hesitation, she strode into the room, stopping just a few steps from the table.

"Let’s go," she said simply before lifting her sharp gaze to the officer. "I’m taking her back."

The officer frowned. "Miss—I mean, Detective Lander, why is this woman even in here?" he demanded, unaware of the officer standing behind Penny. "This is a restricted area—"

Before he could finish, a hand landed on the back of his head.

SMACK!

A strong hand smacked the back of his head, hard enough to make him stumble slightly, his grip loosening on Patricia’s cuff. Eyes wide, he turned in shock.

"You—you just assaulted an officer—"

"My hand slipped," Penny deadpanned, pulling Patricia toward her. "It’s not assault if it was purely accidental, right?"

"Accide—"

SMACK!

Smack.