A big group of people were waiting in the city hall's lobby. Lucas was not the average secretary one might see around, not to mention how he was a member of the Murray family. Everyone who knew enough would know what that name entailed. Almost everyone from all departments of the city hall was present, waiting for their new head to start a meeting. Even the streets seemed tidier these past two days.Time stretched on, but no official car arrived. Frances Yaeger, however, remained unfazed. He had refilled his thermal flask with a fresh brew of tea several times as he waited. Finally, a car pulled up, but it was speeding, which was completely out of character for Lucas' usual driving style.Confusion creased Frances' brow as the driver emerged. "Excuse me," the man addressed the crowd, "is Frances Yaeger here?""Yes, that's me. Is there anything you need with? You can take your time explaining." Frances recognized him. "Aren't you Mr. Murray's bodyguard?" Even though Frances c
Waterfront Police Station would indeed be capable of such actions. While they wouldn't risk it for major crimes, minor cases like Aria's could be a source of easy money.After Sherman left, another officer entered. This officer, a man named Larson Tanner, was slippery and thus more difficult to deal with. He paid the other two men present no heed, merely saying to Aria, "Streamers like you should also follow the rules and obey the laws. "Have you seen any famous doctors treat patients online? The Short family has the best doctors in Southbury, yet they'd never disregard other human lives like you!"Aria said coolly, "The biggest hospitals in the country, as well as the hospitals for the military, have already started their telehealth operations a long time ago. The doctors who treat patients online are also experts from various departments. "This is so patients won't need to travel to and from the hospitals, thus saving unnecessary costs. The Short family hasn't started to treat
Lucas said coolly, "Are you telling us to bribe you?" He knew that a lot of things went on behind the scenes in Southbury, but not that these people would be so blatant when insinuating these acts. Frances had told him on the phone the previous night about how Southbury was now without these problems. Lucas clenched his fists. He'd say a thorough investigation was necessary if anyone asked about the matter. Larson said nonchalantly, "With how you accused a police officer of insinuating bribery, I think there's no need for an interrogation."He set his pen down and looked straight at the three of them. They were quite difficult to deal with, and Larson wouldn't manage to get anything out of them even after nightfall if the three of them stayed together. His gaze fell on Aria—his target. He thought a young woman like her wouldn't be able to handle a hands-on interrogation. And so he said, "She's coming with me—alone!"Joel immediately realized what he was planning. Larson wante
The door to the interrogation room was kicked open. Jacob was on the brink of a mental collapse. He hadn't stood up straight ever since getting a call from Frances.Arresting an official who would be their superior while claiming that he'd assaulted a police officer—and on his first day on the job—was an immensely dumb thing to do, and the people who'd done it just had to be directly under his jurisdiction. Jacob had lost hope of retaining his position as chief of police. He prayed fervently for Kreil to understand the big picture and not do anything dumb again during the interrogation. He called Kreil repeatedly on the way here, but Kreil hadn't picked up any of his calls for some unknown reason.Jacob wanted nothing more than to be onboard a plane instead of this car, which seemed so slow in comparison. He ended up late to the scene at the end. From the moment he'd arrived at the interrogation room, he knew that his time as chief of police had come to an end. Frances di
"Regardless of who she is, you can't make an unlawful arrest!" Frances was usually a gentle, well-mannered person, but this made him fly into a rage.Kreil, unfazed by the outburst, pivoted toward Jacob. "Chief Green, you know how dedicated I am to the job."Jacob, not wanting to be implicated, responded sharply, "That's enough, Kreil! Take him down immediately!"Jacob had planned to cover up whatever he could before the new secretary-general arrived and had given all the necessary orders. As long as everything remained buried deep enough, Lucas wouldn't manage to unearth anything, and thus, he wouldn't be able to do anything in response as the new secretary-general.However, this fiasco presented itself as a perfect reason for Lucas to conduct a thorough investigation. Jacob resolved not to let Kreil utter a single word. The officers were ready to take Kreil down when Aria spoke. She did so casually, entirely unlike an ordinary citizen who'd just gotten arrested, and with a
Carol slumped on the floor. She heard nothing about Frances or a secretary-general when she agreed to take the job. She wasn't educated, so she didn't understand some of what they were talking about, but she wasn't stupid—a man who could command such deference from Kreil was surely someone important. She dared not speak. She tried to sneak away amid the arguments, but Aria had persistently blocked her path, whether intentionally or not. Carol looked at Aria resentfully. Aria said with a smile, "We have both the plaintiff and the defendant—myself—here. Chief Green, Mr. Yaeger, and Mr. Murray, I'll have to trouble you with something. Please interrogate both of us at the same time."That was what Jacob was most afraid of. If they were to be interrogated simultaneously, everything would eventually surface!Lucas studied Frances' face and spoke with the air of someone in an important position. "What do you think, Frances?"Lucas wanted to gauge the severity of corruption in South
Three agonizing hours had passed since Aria had been taken to the police station. Clueless about the situation, anxiety gnawed at her. She learned from her connections that extricating Aria wouldn't be easy. Karen had smartly chosen the perfect time to strike, coming when Sam was not around. To her, Sam was troublesome.Karen scrolled through her phone, maintaining a façade of calm. "Mom, look at how many people are scolding you online. Aria's matter can't be settled easily. She did assault a police officer, after all."She clicked on one of the comments. "Look at this comment. It's spot on. 'How dare someone who rose from poverty dare to attack our national heroes? Such streamers should all be captured and sentenced for severe crimes!'"Georgina saw that comment, which was one of the many malicious attacks on her account. However, her worry wasn't for herself but for Aria's future. She feared Aria's life would be ruined by this. Karen stared at Georgina before grabbing her bag,
Georgina said, "I've been through this before, so I know the record will be for life if she's really implicated. She's young and just started studying medicine. She can't let this hold her back."Knowing this, Karen was confident she could succeed. Georgina would surely give her the livestream account. After all, Karen understood that Aria's future meant more to Georgina than anything else."Where do I sign?" Georgina asked flatly.Karen instructed with a smile, "Here and here."However, Georgina was very cautious. "How can I be sure you'll keep your promise and bail Aria out? Do you intend just to bring up the Layne family name? They're from Janovin. What connections do they have in Southbury?" Karen cursed inwardly. Georgina was proving more troublesome than anticipated.Karen responded proudly. "Of course, I won't just bring up their name. I have my own connections. I'm friends with Chief Thompson from Waterfront Police Station."While saying that, she showed Georgina the co