Chapter 396 - 392: I Still Have to Make Things Clear

Saul Thorne’s sudden appearance stunned Cecilia Sterling for a moment.

"What are you doing here?"

Cecilia slowly got to her feet as she came back to her senses. Saul had been transferred back to the Criminal Investigation Division a long time ago. This Sunward Road precinct was where he’d worked as a beat cop when they first met.

"I came back to get some of my personal things." Saul’s tone was soft and gentle. As he spoke, his eyes scanned Cecilia carefully before he asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

There was no blame, not even a hint of displeasure. His eyes held only concern and worry for Cecilia.

Cecilia shook her head gently. "I’m fine, don’t worry. I’ll explain once we’re out of here."

"Captain Thorne!"

The captain on duty recognized him and hurried over, his expression a mix of confusion and surprise. "She’s your girlfriend?"

Saul nodded, his icy gaze sweeping over the two brawling groups in the room. Then he spoke in a low voice, "Captain Miller, please handle this."

After speaking, Saul silently moved to the side and stood there, showing no intention of leaving.

His presence was a clear signal: he wanted the captain to wrap this up quickly so he could leave with his girlfriend.

Captain Miller rubbed his nose and quickly glanced over the report in his hands. He had plenty of experience handling this kind of situation, so a brief look was all he needed to get the gist of it.

"You’ve all sustained injuries to varying degrees. You’ll need to go to the hospital to get patched up."

He then looked at Quentin Perry, who had blood caked on his forehead. "You seem to be the most seriously injured, but you threw the first punch, so you bear the primary responsibility for this incident."

"Seeing as this is your first offense, we’ll let you off with a stern warning and a fine. If you’re willing to reconcile, one of our officers will escort you to sort out compensation for each other’s medical bills. If you can’t agree to reconcile, then you’ll each be detained for seven days under the Public Security Administration Punishments Law!"

He finished, then looked between the two groups. "So, do you agree to reconcile?"

Neither Jonah Goodman nor Quentin Perry was willing to back down to the other, but they both knew the police were letting them off easy. If they refused this offer and insisted on doing things the hard way, detention would be waiting for them.

After a long, awkward pause, both groups reluctantly nodded.

Seeing this, Captain Miller snorted impatiently and ordered two young officers at his side, "Take them to the hospital!"

Everyone scrambled to their feet. At that moment, someone knocked on the door and entered.

Cecilia recognized the man at a glance: Preston Marshall, the manager of The Hard Candy Bar.

Preston Marshall also recognized Cecilia instantly, but knowing it wasn’t the right time, he didn’t dare greet her casually. Instead, he looked at Captain Miller and introduced himself. "Hello, Officer. I’m the manager of the bar!"

At the sight of the bar manager, it dawned on Captain Miller. He quickly stopped the group from leaving for the hospital. "Wait a minute. I almost forgot. You broke the bar’s LED screen. You’ll have to pay for the damages."

"Did you bring the quote?" Captain Miller asked Preston Marshall.

"Is a digital copy okay?"

"That’s fine!"

Preston Marshall pulled out the quote. That screen wasn’t cheap. Captain Miller frowned in resignation. "You can split the cost."

"Why?" Quentin Perry immediately protested, pointing at Jonah Goodman and cursing, "That bastard is the one who broke the screen! What’s it got to do with me?"

Jonah Goodman didn’t deny it, just shot Quentin Perry a glare.

During the argument, Preston Marshall subconsciously glanced at Cecilia again. After all, Jeb had already handed the bar over to her. He was wondering if Cecilia would give him some kind of signal.

But Cecilia showed no reaction. This was her brother’s bar; she couldn’t just generously waive a payment others were obligated to make on her brother’s behalf.

They were all adults and should pay the price for their own recklessness and mistakes. Besides, the cost of one screen was nothing to them.

But Quentin Perry noticed Preston Marshall looking at Cecilia. The man who had just been refusing to pay immediately spoke up. "Don’t look at her! It has nothing to do with her. How much is it? I’ll pay for it!"

In the end, Quentin Perry paid for half, and Jonah Goodman paid for the other half.

After receiving the payment, Preston Marshall left. Cecilia didn’t greet him, and he understood, pretending not to know her.

The injured men left for the hospital, escorted by police officers, leaving only the young women in the room.

"Captain Thorne, we’ve gotten a clear picture of what happened. These young women weren’t involved in the brawl. They were probably just at the bar with them, so they bear no responsibility in this matter."

Captain Miller walked up to Saul Thorne to explain, then added in a slightly embarrassed tone, "I’d heard you had a girlfriend, Captain Thorne, but I’d never met her. This is all rather awkward for me..."

"Don’t say that, Captain Miller. Just follow standard procedure. If my girlfriend were actually responsible, I wouldn’t cover for her."

"No, no, this really has nothing to do with the girls."

At that, Saul nodded. He walked over to Cecilia again, took her hand, and said softly, "Shall we go?"

Captain Miller escorted them to the door, making conversation along the way. He asked solicitously, "Captain Thorne, I heard you were transferred back to the Detective Division in Criminal Investigations?"

Saul smiled slightly at his words and nodded in response.

"Congratulations! I always said your assignment here at our precinct was only temporary. It would be a real shame for someone with your skills not to be in the Criminal Investigation Division."

"You’re too kind, Captain Miller. Criminal investigation was my major, so I’m just putting my education to use."

"You’re being too modest, Captain Thorne. But I’m genuinely happy for you. Be careful out there on your cases in the future."

Only when they reached the entrance did Captain Miller bid them farewell and turn back into the station.

Sarah Harris had been staring at Saul Thorne the whole time. Or rather, she had been observing him ever since he showed up and was introduced as her sister’s boyfriend.

She now understood the full weight of her sister’s words: "You think he’s good-looking now because you haven’t met my boyfriend."

’He’s so handsome, the ruggedly handsome type!’

’And his whole vibe was completely different from those handsome guys in nightclubs. He was composed, profound, and radiated an aura of integrity!’

"Cecilia—"

But just as Sarah Harris was about to speak, Estelle pulled her away. "Come wait over here with me."

This was obviously a moment for Cecilia and Saul to have some time alone.

Outside the police station, Cecilia and Saul stood in front of his Jeep. Cecilia mentally rehearsed what she wanted to say. She felt that no matter what, she had to explain today’s situation to Saul.

But before she could speak, Saul cut in. "You don’t have to explain. I’m not overthinking it."

Cecilia’s words caught in her throat. She looked at the softness in Saul’s eyes, and after a moment, she shook her head. "I still need to make things clear. Just because you aren’t overthinking it doesn’t mean I can just ignore your feelings with a clear conscience."