The Years Between Signing and Seeing novel Chapter 494

Oliver couldn't figure out why they had moved so fast to detain and interrogate her.

He also knew that no words of comfort would magically fix things for Suzie right now. He was just as devastated and understood exactly what she was going through.

Suzie's mind was racing. One minute she was pacing, the next she was badgering their lawyer with questions, then hurrying back to the front desk to ask for updates. But it was all a dead end. The lawyer hadn't been given any details and hadn't been allowed to see his client, so he had no answers. The desk clerks were just as unhelpful, giving generic, stonewalling replies. It was completely agonizing.

Just as she was overwhelmed with despair, the sound of approaching footsteps and low voices echoed down the hall. The cadence sounded eerily familiar.

Suzie looked past the corner and saw a small group of men stopping in the corridor. A man in a sharp suit—clearly a top-tier attorney—was speaking respectfully to Jamie Baylor, who was alternately frowning and nodding. Beside them stood Aaron and two other men.

As their conversation wrapped up, Jamie turned and began walking in her direction.

Suzie immediately shrank back into the waiting area, trying to stay out of sight.

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked, noticing her sudden shift.

She shook her head, keeping her voice low. "Nothing."

Moments later, Jamie and his entourage walked right past them. Suzie kept her gaze fixed firmly on the floor, watching only the tips of their polished shoes as they stopped right in front of her.

"Ms. Sterling," Aaron's polite voice rang out.

She slowly raised her head, giving a barely-there nod of acknowledgment before looking away again.

It didn't surprise her that they were here. Baylor Group was a massive empire; legal issues were just a cost of doing business. Even back when she lived with the Baylor family, she knew he occasionally had to handle matters at local precincts.

She walked back up to the glass window. "Excuse me. Can we see Stella Vance now?"

The clerk glanced up, looking bored. "Under the current circumstances, the suspect is not permitted visitors."

Suzie frowned but kept her tone polite. "I understand family isn't allowed, but what about legal counsel? I know suspects are entitled to have an attorney present during questioning."

The clerk looked her up and down before giving a flat reply. "Give me a second. Let me ask."

She stepped away from the window and returned a minute later, her voice purely transactional. "The detective said Ms. Vance has already retained legal counsel. You need to head home. Loitering isn't permitted here."

Suzie opened her mouth to argue, but someone else was already shoving past her to ask a question at the glass.