Chapter 510 - 506: You Hit Me Again?

"Who the hell are you?!"

Felix Vance snapped back to his senses and roared in anger. His friends, who were sitting beside him, also stood up instinctively.

But in the next second, Duane walked in with several large, intimidating men in black. He pointed at them and said threateningly, "I dare you to move!"

This sudden turn of events stunned the group, as it was obvious Duane and his men were not to be trifled with.

This was a police station!

"Cecilia?"

Jasmine Sterling was even more surprised to see her daughter. "What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to go to Jovar?"

Cecilia Sterling looked at her mother, her eyes filled with heartache for her.

’To think she was being humiliated like this by some nobody who just popped out of nowhere.’ Her anger flared.

"Mom, I’ll explain later," Cecilia Sterling said softly.

Felix Vance overheard their conversation and snapped out of it, quickly turning to the officer in front of him. "Officer, you saw that! She hit me!"

Cecilia Sterling’s appearance had been sudden, and the slap even more so. The police officer was also stunned.

The officer only came to his senses when he heard Felix speak. He looked at Cecilia and said with feigned seriousness, "Young lady, this is a police station, not a place for you to cause trouble."

"Then arrest me," Cecilia Sterling said coldly.

The officer was taken aback. He glanced at the imposing figures of Duane and his men. Even though he was a police officer, his heart was pounding. When had he ever seen a scene like this?

"We brought you both here for mediation, not to escalate the conflict. I hope both sides can calm down." The officer’s tone softened, his stance easing.

"I don’t accept mediation!"

A gentle voice spoke up, devoid of emotion but exceptionally firm.

The officer and Felix Vance both turned to look at Jasmine Sterling. Even Cecilia Sterling was a little surprised; after all, her mother had always been a very soft-hearted person.

"Heh." Felix Vance suddenly sneered. He looked at Jasmine Sterling and said mockingly, "Miss Sterling, I thought you were such a calm and magnanimous person. I guess a little grievance is all it takes for you to show your true colors, huh? Done with the act?"

"Felix Vance!" Jasmine Sterling met his gaze without flinching, patiently replying, "This has nothing to do with being magnanimous. I may have said that you’re just a child in my eyes, but as an adult, you can’t actually act like one. If everything you’ve done to trouble me was within the bounds of sentiment, I could choose to tolerate it. But some things may be tolerable by sentiment, but not by law. You broke the law, and you have to face the consequences!"

"What a righteous-sounding speech. If you want to get back at me, just say so. Why dress it up in such lofty words?" Felix Vance remained dismissive.

Jasmine Sterling shook her head, speechless.

’Prejudice in a person’s heart is like a great mountain.’ Since Felix Vance was already convinced she was intentionally trying to seduce Mr. Vance, he wouldn’t believe anything she said.

But in the next second, SMACK!

Caught completely off guard, Felix Vance was slapped again. His head snapped to the side, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"You hit me again!"

Felix Vance was about to explode. He glared like an enraged lion but ultimately just roared impotently at the officer, "Officer, are you going to do something or not? She’s hitting people in the police station!"

Cecilia Sterling’s expression was cold; she wasn’t scared in the least.

"Let me tell you, if you dare talk to my mom like that again, I’ll smash your mouth in. She’s your elder and is willing to tolerate you, but I won’t put up with your crap. At worst, I’ll just get detained here with you!"

Felix Vance looked at Cecilia Sterling’s flawless face but felt like he was looking at a monster.

"Young lady, do you think detention is some kind of game?" The officer looked at Cecilia, shocked. ’How could such a beautiful girl be so quick to violence, and in a police station, right in front of an officer, no less? The audacity...’ "If you’re unwilling to accept mediation, then we can just proceed with legal action."

Although the officer was a bit intimidated by Duane and his men, this was a police station, after all. He was starting to get angry at being so blatantly disregarded.

"Cecilia." Jasmine Sterling grabbed her daughter’s arm and consoled her in a low voice, "Don’t get physical. From here on out, we’ll just follow the normal legal procedures."

Felix Vance looked at Jasmine Sterling again, his eyes filled with shock and rage.

’Now she decides to tell her daughter to stop? I’ve already been slapped twice! Does she not know how to restrain her own daughter, who’s acting like some kind of raging beast?’

Jasmine Sterling ignored his glare and said to the officer, "We don’t accept mediation. Please proceed according to the standard process. If detention is required, then so be it. If compensation is required, so be it."

She wasn’t an expert on the law, but she knew that this type of incident would at most be considered a civil dispute, like "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" or malicious destruction of property. It wasn’t enough to be a criminal case.

So, the worst-case scenario was detention and compensation, and she didn’t need a token apology from Felix Vance anyway.

The officer hesitated, wanting to try persuading them again. Police stations generally prioritize mediation, where everyone reaches a happy consensus. Detention and all that was just a hassle for the station.

But seeing the two sides at each other’s throats, he figured there was probably no room left for negotiation.

So, the officer turned to Felix Vance, whose cheeks were slightly red, and said, "Since the other party won’t agree to a settlement, you’ll have to come with me."

"For what?" Felix Vance’s face darkened, and he instinctively took a step back.

The officer said impatiently, "For what needs to be done. Don’t you know what you did? Did you really think a society ruled by law has no way to deal with young troublemakers like you?"

Felix Vance’s eyes went wide. "Wait a minute, now you’re acting like a cop? I just got slapped twice right in front of you, didn’t you see? I didn’t even fight back! Doesn’t that count as being assaulted?"

"If you want to file a report about that, we can talk about it later. Right now, we’re dealing with what you did in front of her store in the early morning!"

As he spoke, the officer glanced at Cecilia Sterling, thinking, ’This girl is too impulsive. Hitting someone in the police station lobby... If he really presses the issue, she’ll probably end up getting detained with him.’

But Cecilia Sterling couldn’t care less. Her power wasn’t great enough to shake the foundations of the justice system, but if detention was the price, so be it. She was determined to stand up for her mother. This wasn’t a rash, emotional act; she had already considered the consequences.

And just then, Finn Vance arrived.

He had rushed to the police station after hearing the news. The moment he entered the lobby, he was startled by the scene—or to be more precise, by Duane’s group of fierce-looking, uniformly dressed men in black.

It wasn’t until he saw Jasmine Sterling and his own son that he was sure he hadn’t gone to the wrong place.

"Dad!"

Seeing his father, Felix Vance instantly turned into a whining child. He rushed forward and said aggrievedly, "Miss Sterling is trying to get the police to lock me up!"