American Tax Officer

"We'll proceed according to the plan; there's no need to worry about Disney,"

Disney's legal department might be powerful, but that was relative to others. With the advantage of extra leverage, as long as David had the evidence of Disney's tax evasion, including witnesses, once it went to court at their IRS, even the most formidable legal departments and their most eloquent lawyers would absolutely be unable to escape punishment.

Hearing that David, their main pillar of confidence, was so assured, Hakim Kinu and the others relaxed quite a bit.

In the time that followed, David gave each person their tasks to complete for the evening; finally, he instructed Hakim, "Go find Judge Nicola and discuss the details of the trial set for tomorrow afternoon."

"A trial?"

Hakim was startled. Was David planning to have these celebrities locked up according to his intentions?

But even if these celebrities really did evade taxes, if he incarcerated them, wouldn't their fans go mad?

"Many things need to be done in court to derive other effects, rest assured, we're not really going to put them in prison."

David could have approached these celebrities privately and reached tax payment agreements with each of them, but that wouldn't involve the eight major Hollywood film companies.

He needed these people to come to court, only then could he link the matter to the eight major film companies and make full use of the situation.

"Understood."

Hakim seemed to grasp the intent, didn't ask further, and turned to leave.

After completing these arrangements, David went straight to the detention cells. To ensure the rights of the celebrities, he had his subordinates prepare separate detention cells for each of them.

And upon David's arrival, the celebrities who were locked in the detention cells all showed fury in their eyes.

They had assumed that being brought in by the Western Suburb Branch, they would at least be offered a rest room with coffee and delicious treats.

But they never expected to be treated with such disregard—far from coffee and treats, they were thrown directly into detention cells upon arrival.

Keep in mind, they considered themselves as merely cooperating with the IRS, and now the IRS was actually treating them like tax evaders?

It was utterly outrageous!

"Ms. Julie, I'm sorry you have to stay here tonight, but don't worry, I believe you'll be fine after the hearing tomorrow."

David arrived at the door of the cell holding Julie and offered some comfort.

"Hmph, I'll be fine, but you, Director David, I'm not so sure about that!"

Julie was suddenly seething with anger. The IRS had brought her here into this place, and now they were making her stay overnight?

"We'll know tomorrow."

David responded and moved on to the second detention cell, telling the person inside, "Mr. Will Smith, I apologize for the inconvenience; you'll be fine too."

"Director David, the IRS's approach is inappropriate. If there isn't an explanation, I surely won't let this go!"

Will Smith lost the cooperative tone he had at the Oscars. Naturally, he was quite dissatisfied with being detained in a cell overnight.

David, however, remained unflustered. Each of the people he had brought in was suspected of tax evasion. Detaining them for one night was a minor lesson and wasn't too excessive, was it?

Without further attention, David continued to the next detention cell with the same message. Soon, he had offered words of comfort to all the celebrities.

Finally, before leaving, he added, "Oh, by the way, just a reminder: the investigation into your cases will be held in our city's court at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon."

"What did you say!"

Julie, Will Smith, and several other celebrities' pupils contracted sharply, their breathing becoming rapid.

They had thought David had merely invited them for an investigation, but now they were facing a court hearing tomorrow afternoon.

Didn't that mean it wasn't just an investigation, but that they were going to be charged?

Many among them had heard about David's mode of operation; once in court, they typically faced harsh sentences.

They wouldn't end up with such a fate too, would they?

The celebrities were now realizing the gravity of the situation and began to panic.

They were well aware that the IRS court was essentially an autocracy; if the agency was intent on dealing with them, they could indeed end up being severely penalized.

"Director David, we have not evaded taxes; you can't just put us on trial like this. It would severely damage our reputations!"

Julie couldn't sit still anymore. As a goodwill ambassador for the United Hebox Nations Refugee Agency, even a court appearance would impact her reputation, even if she was ultimately declared innocent.
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Julie was right. If the court proves us innocent, what about the time wasted, the damage to our reputation? How would that be addressed?"

"Director David, although the IRS has a lot of power, you can't just send us to trial without following any procedures or giving any notice. You're trampling on the rights of each and every one of us!"

Following Julie's outburst, the other celebrities also became restless and started to stand up and accuse him one by one.

"Whether you're guilty of tax evasion isn't for you to decide, but for the judge and the IRS. And as I said before, if I can't provide an explanation, I'll resign myself, so no more words are needed!"