Chapter 5188

As soon as the knocking began, Christopher's heart started to race and he called out, "Who is it?" He was not expecting visitors, especially not at this hour. Without waiting for a response, the door was pushed open and several police officers entered the room. One of the officers looked at Christopher and Harold and asked, "Are you the family of Hannah?" Christopher answered instinctively, "I am...her husband." Harold added, "And I am her son." The police officer nodded in response and said, "Yes, that's right. We need you to come with us to assist in a video investigation." Christopher's mind was racing and he asked the officer in disbelief, "Is this about Hannah? Are you sure?" Harold's eyes widened in surprise "A video? What video? We have no idea what you're talking about." The police officer looked at him incredulously "Your video was leaked on the internet. You haven't seen it yet?" "Leaked?" Christopher's voice trembled with anxiety "I don't understand. What's going on?" The officer spoke in a calm tone "It's alright if you don't know. We're here to fill you in. Please, get up and come with us." Christopher's face turned pale "Officer, my son and I are both paralyzed. We haven't recovered yet, so we can't get up." The police officer’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the group of people in front of him “You think acting is addictive, huh? You can’t fool me. You’re just putting on a show for your online audience, hoping they’ll buy your products and shower you with attention. But let me tell you something, I know when someone’s fake and you’re not fooling me.” Harold’s heart raced as he tried to come up with a plausible explanation “Officer, you’ve got it all wrong. My father and I were in a terrible accident not long ago and we’ve been bedridden ever since. If you don’t believe us, you can check our medical records at the hospital.” The police officer’s expression softened slightly as he thought back to when he first arrived at the scene. The two men had been lying on the bed the whole time, hardly moving a muscle. Maybe there was some truth to what Harold was saying after all. So, he said, “If you really have mobility problems, then I’ll ask two people to help you into the car. First, go to the police station to cooperate with us in an investigation. After the investigation is over, we will send you two back.” Christopher's voice trembled as he addressed the police officer, "What's happening? You just mentioned that someone has leaked our information? Is my wife's livestream exposed?" The officer nodded solemnly and pulled out his phone. With a casual air, he opened the video and handed it to Christopher. "See for yourself," he said. "You can't deny what's right in front of you." Christopher's heart was pounding as he watched the video play out before him. Hannah's first words were enough to make him jump out of his skin. Harold, lying on the bed next to him, couldn't see the footage, but the sound was enough to send shivers down his spine. The police officer snatched his phone back before the video could reach its conclusion. His voice was cold as he addressed Christopher, "Do you finally understand why we needed you to come to the station to cooperate with our investigation?" Christopher's forehead was drenched in cold sweat, and he stuttered as he replied, "B-but my wife wasn't lying during the livestream. We really are paralyzed, and we can't afford the medical treatment we need..." The officer arched an eyebrow. "Your wife drives a Mercedes-Benz G Wagon, for crying out loud. You expect me to believe that you can't afford your medical bills?" Christopher hurriedly interjected, "Officer, you've misunderstood. I'm not talking about our current situation. I'm referring to when my wife first started live streaming. Back then, we were in dire straits and couldn't even afford basic necessities like food and medicine. So she started livestreaming to earn some money, and as more people began to follow her, she started selling goods during her broadcasts." The police officer's voice was still chilly as he asked, "If you've made so much money, why are you still living in misery? Your wife's Mercedes-Benz G should be more than enough to cover your living expenses and medical bills, right? You've already received help from kind-hearted people to solve your problems. So why do you keep holding onto the sympathy people have for your family? You have more money than you know what to do with, and yet you continue to portray yourselves as miserable on camera. Do you think that's fair?"

Christopher was rendered speechless for a moment. He knew that what had happened was scandalous, but his family seemed not to care. It was like a small water droplet causing a ripple in the pond. They only needed $3,000 to cure their illness, yet they insisted on using crowdfunding to raise the same amount. There had to be something amiss with this situation. The arrival of the police was something he had feared all along. In despair, Christopher and his son had to be escorted out of the room by several police officers. Lady Wilson, who had just dozed off, was brought out of the house alongside Christopher and Harold. She was confused and unaware of what was happening. As she watched the police officers carry her son and grandson out, she asked in a panic, "Christopher, Harold, what's going on? Why are the police taking you away?" The officer quickly intervened, "Please don't misunderstand, Grandma. We're not arresting the three of you. However, you're all under suspicion of fraud, and we'd like you to come with us to the station to help us with our investigation." Lady Wilson was jolted from her daze and quickly waved her hands in protest, "Officer, my daughter-in-law is the one who committed the deceitful acts. I had nothing to do with it. Please don't drag me into this mess." Lady Wilson knew what it was like to be in prison, and the thought of returning made her shudder with fear. She was fully aware of how disgraceful her daughter-in-law's actions were, and she didn't want to be implicated in any way. The officer spoke patiently, "Grandma, there's no need to panic. We just need you to cooperate with our investigation. If everything checks out, we'll send you back." Lady Wilson had no choice but to comply and follow the police car. Several police cars from Thompson First set out towards the city bureau. Upon arriving, Hannah's family members were interrogated in separate rooms. Due to their fragile mental states, they confessed to their wrongdoing in no time. To the police's surprise, Christopher and Harold were actually paralyzed. Initially, they had believed that the two of them were faking their condition. However, after reviewing the hospital's records and observing the two men, they realized that their paralysis was indeed genuine. This created a conundrum for the police. If the paralysis had been a fabrication, the family would have been convicted of fraud. But since the illnesses were authentic, it suggested that Hannah hadn't forged any documents to deceive the public. Therefore, the charge of fraud no longer applied. However, there was a precedent for this type of live broadcast in which misery was sold. Generally, administrative punishment was imposed based on the severity of the offense, and the punishment ranged from seven to fifteen days of detention. Thus, the police made a swift decision to detain Hannah for ten days, and they also permanently banned her TikTok account. Although Christopher, Harold, and Lady Wilson were accomplices, it was evident that the father and son were genuinely bedridden. Lady Wilson, on the other hand, was an elderly woman who had to take care of both of them. Thus, the authorities were lenient on the three of them to avoid undue punishment. For Hannah, ten days of administrative detention was already a stroke of luck. She thought to herself, "Ten days is nothing. As long as they don't take my money, I can endure it." However, the tax officer approached her immediately and said, "Hannah, after conducting our investigation, we found that your bank account transactions during this period exceeded 10 million, but you haven't paid a single penny in taxes. Can you explain?"