Chapter 447 - 443: Just Take Responsibility for Your Own Actions

As she emerged from the dark alley, the brawny, bearded man who had been dozing off on the stone steps shot to his feet. "Cecilia!"

Cecilia Sterling glanced toward the bar, where a few police officers were still wrapping things up. "Is it almost over?"

"Yeah, they’ve taken everyone away. The rest of us have to go in, too."

Cecilia nodded. "Just cooperate with the police. Remember to lock up."

She seemed remarkably composed, as if nothing at all had happened during the past hour she’d spent inside.

Just then, the sound of a car engine echoed from the dark alley. Saul Thorne slowly pulled out, his shirt wide open.

The car stopped beside Cecilia. She knew what he meant without having to ask.

She pulled open the door, got in, and couldn’t help but laugh as she looked at Saul’s shirt. "Couldn’t you find another shirt to change into first?"

"If I had one, don’t you think I would’ve?" Saul said, shifting the car into gear. "We just have to go through the standard procedures."

Cecilia hummed in agreement.

The car slowly pulled away, heading for the criminal investigation division headquarters.

On the way, Cecilia suddenly asked, "When will my brother be sentenced?"

Saul glanced at her and explained in a low voice, "It’ll be a while. Public prosecution cases have a long cycle because they need to collect more evidence."

Cecilia nodded, her expression unchanged. She wasn’t asking for herself, but for her sister-in-law.

Until he was sentenced, there could be no visitations. Her sister-in-law had already asked her several times, anxious to see him.

"This bar belongs to Wesley Yates, right?" Saul suddenly asked.

Cecilia didn’t hide it. "You could say that."

’The registered owner is actually my sister-in-law, so it’s not entirely my brother’s.’

"Did he hand it over to you before he went in?"

"His wife is pregnant. I’m just helping out."

The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Neither of them spoke again.

Not until the car pulled into the station’s courtyard. The police station was unusually bustling in the dead of night.

With over a hundred people brought in from the bar, including staff, the lights were on across several floors of the building.

Cecilia opened the door and got out. Saul instructed her, "You go on up. I’ll get someone to bring me a shirt."

A moment later, a colleague brought a shirt over to the car. His eyes fell on the shirt Saul was wearing, and he exclaimed in shock, "Captain Thorne, what happened to you? How come your shirt is missing every single button?"

"Never mind that. Give me the shirt."

As Saul spoke, he held out his hand, inadvertently revealing the bright red handcuff marks on his wrist, which were even more conspicuous.

"Captain Thorne, your wrist... Those marks..."

There was no way a police officer wouldn’t recognize handcuff marks. The man looked up at him, completely baffled. "What happened? Were you taken captive?"

"Captive, my ass. Why all the questions?" Saul snatched the shirt and quickly changed. "What’s the situation inside?"

"They’re lining up for urine tests. Two of them were clearly acting suspicious, so they’ve already been isolated."

In the lobby, Cecilia found Ben and the others. The staff and customers had been separated. Ben asked nervously, "Cecilia, where did you go just now?"

"Just went to unwind a bit," Cecilia said nonchalantly.

She turned her head and saw Saul Thorne walk in, having changed his shirt.

Saul noticed Cecilia. He turned and said a few words to a colleague, who then walked over to them. "You all can come upstairs with me. Once you’re done, you can head home."

And so, surrounded by a crowd of burly men, Cecilia walked up the stairs right in their center, like a queen with her court.

After giving a sample under the guidance of a female officer and leaving her contact information, Cecilia went straight downstairs, ready to leave.

She didn’t intend to say goodbye to Saul. As for what had happened tonight, she didn’t feel either of them owed the other anything.

’Two consenting adults, a spark to dry tinder. All that matters is that they take responsibility for their own actions.’

"Cecilia!"

But Saul had chased after her.

"You must be busy tonight. Don’t worry about me. I can get home on my own."

The faint ache in his wrist was a reminder that everything that had happened tonight was real. He asked cautiously, "You do still like me, don’t you?"

He was so cautious that he didn’t even dare to use the word "love," only "like."

Cecilia’s lips curved into a slight smile as she nodded. "I’ve never denied that I like you. But Saul, we’ve already broken up. That’s a fact."

"I know, but what happened between us—"

"Don’t think about it anymore, Saul," Cecilia interrupted, her tone softening to its usual gentleness. "At least for now, under these circumstances, it’s better for both of us to be apart."

She had always been level-headed.

And how could Saul not know that?

He just loved Cecilia too much. He wanted to try and give up things that were vital to him for her sake, but she wouldn’t give him that chance.

But in its own way, wasn’t what Cecilia was doing a sign that she cared for him?

From the very beginning, Cecilia had told him: never put her first!

A breeze finally stirred the muggy night air. Cecilia walked away without a backward glance, the red mark on her shoulder a fresh souvenir from Saul.

「The very next day, Estelle Goodman caught her red-handed.」

"AHH—"

Estelle Goodman stared at Cecilia’s shoulder, practically circling it with her eyes in admiration. "Darling, have you finally broken your fast?"

Cecilia didn’t flinch. She even pushed her shoulder forward a bit. "What? Jealous?"

"You better fess up right now. Who was the lucky guy you deigned to bless with your presence?" Estelle Goodman demanded, her mind racing to recall any guys Cecilia had been close to recently.

But as far as she could remember, there really hadn’t been anyone.

Cecilia wasn’t shy about this sort of thing, especially not with Estelle Goodman. "Saul Thorne."

Estelle Goodman froze on the spot, utterly petrified.

"You... you... you two..."

"Did I just hear someone say Saul Thorne?" Blair pushed the door open and came in, frowning at Cecilia. "Didn’t you two break up months ago?"

Estelle excitedly grabbed Blair, practically shoving her head toward Cecilia’s shoulder. "Blair, look! A love bite! From Saul!"

Blair, however, was calm. She turned to look at Cecilia. "What’s the situation? Old flame rekindled?"

"Ugh, it just flared up for a second. He served himself up on a platter, I’d had a little to drink, and I took him," Cecilia explained. "He made the first move!"

Estelle’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Listen to the way you talk! Cecilia, you’re so wild."

Blair, on the other hand, pouted regretfully. "I always thought you two were a great match. You look good together, your personalities click, and *that* part was good, too. He obviously can’t get over you."

As if Cecilia didn’t know all that.

Compared to Shawn Lane, Saul Thorne was the clear winner by a long shot.

"It’s all in the past. Come on, I have an appointment with the instructor today to take my license test. Are you two confident about yours?" Cecilia asked, looking at them.

Estelle Goodman became visibly nervous. "M-Maybe I should take it next time? I’ve only been learning for a little while."

"You haven’t been taking your lessons seriously, anyway. You’re always all over that handsome young instructor of yours. You’re not trying to date him, are you?" Blair said, cutting right to the chase.

Estelle shrieked, her face turning red. "No, of course not! I’m just a slow learner, so he has to pay extra attention to me!"