As soon as Jerome Murphy made the announcement, he turned around and was about to leave, only to hear a voice that made him look over his shoulder the next second. Then, he saw the cops manhandling Amelie, who was surprisingly not seen with hostility written on her face. In the meantime, the lady shot a cold gaze at the inspector and asked, âSeriously? Are you really going to do this?â
âWhat kind of question is that?â A plump figure that turned out to be Abby emerged from behind Jerome and answered on the manâs behalf. âYou two hurt my son and my grandchild! For that, youâre going to be sentenced to jail and fined heavily!â She stuck out three of her fingers. âThree hundred grand! Not a penny less!â
âHaha!â Amelie sneered.
Three hundred grand! Thatâs some nerve she has to ask for that kind of money! Stevenâs rage took over him despite his usual forgiving and kind nature. As his face was covered in veins, he began to charge at Abby angrily, scaring the lady so much that she stepped back in intimidation.
âWeâre at the police station now! So, how dare you disrespect the law and resort to violence in the officersâ presence!â Abby continued to grumble even after backing away from the angry man. âYou definitely need to be punished more severely!â
Deep down, she was confident about the calculations she had made with every step she had taken thus far. After all, Amelie was broke since she left her family without taking a single penny with her while Steven was merely a skillful craftsman who would be content if he was given ten or twenty grand.
Therefore, she was counting on their desperate financial situation to force them into pledging their house, which she believed would be hers, considering how powerless the Dillon Family had become.
Nonetheless, Amelie knew what Abby was planning to do as she called out to Steven and shook her head at him, signaling him to take it easy. On the other hand, the man was quickly overwhelmed by guilt when he understood his daughterâs hint, responding in silence without saying a word more.
Soon, Amelie turned her attention to Jerome and ignored Abbyâs provocation. âIâm asking you, Inspector Murphy.â Her eyes were filled with belligerence, as if she was trying to provoke him.
Needless to say, Amelieâs aggression didnât sit well with Jerome because no one had ever defied him in that area. Thus, he was immediately offended as he slammed the desk with his hand and replied rudely, âYes! Iâm sure I want to do this!â
He stared at Amelie in an annoyed manner, allowing no one to challenge his authority. At the same time, he had one hand in his pocket and paced back and forth in a haughty manner.
Meanwhile, the man standing beside the inspector suggested, âCome on, guys! Donât you know who Inspector Murphy is? If I were you, I would apologize for my mistake and ask for his forgiveness before things get ugly.â
âHaha!â Amelie reacted with a sarcastic sneer upon hearing the manâs words, but of course, her reaction was perceived by Jerome as a disrespectful gesture. Thus, his face darkened as he glared at the lady.
âYouâve been away from this place for so long that youâve already forgotten how things work around here, young fellow.â The inspector walked closer to the chair and patted its back. âThis place is not like the city you lived in. The law doesnât really work here. Instead, itâs the connections and authority that matter! Therefore, you can forget about using the law against us. Youâre only going to be disappointed!â
âJerome is the law, and his words are final!â The man gave Amelie a disdainful glimpse and approached Steven to pat his shoulder. âI can understand your daughterâs foolishness, but you? How can you be like your daughter?â
âYeah, weâre indeed foolish,â Amelie responded before Steven could say anything.
When Steven heard about his daughter, his face was coated with a surprised expression. Fixing his gaze upon his daughter, he couldnât believe she was about to yield to those people. However, little did he know that everyone else who heard her felt the same way as he did.
Abby was happy to hear what Amelie said and gladly invited Jerome to have dinner at her place.
âWhen this is over, please come to my house for dinner. Tom prepared some delicious pork for you.
You know how precious it is.â
âA game boar?â
In fact, Tom had frequently been hunting wild animals in the woods for their meat, although the practice was banned and made illegal. However, Jerome had a liking for eating wild animals; so he responded with a wide grin on his face upon hearing Abbyâs invitation.
Nevertheless, Amelie had no intention of wasting her time quarreling with those people. âI didnât know that everyone in this town had to listen to you, Inspector Murphy. If thatâs the case, whatâs the purpose of having the town mayor or the police chief?â
âOh, seriously?! No one from your family is related to Inspector Murphy, so who do you think you are to even approach the police chief and the town mayor?â Abby responded insolently and laughed sarcastically. âWhat a pipe dream!â
âYouâre right. None of us from my family is related to Inspector Murphy, but that doesnât mean I canât approach them.â Amelie ambiguously sniggered and glared at the officers who were manhandling her.
âLet go of me now!â
For some reason, the officers were frightened by her intimidating gaze, and they instinctively let go of her. Then, she reached for her phone in front of the rest and dialed a number. âJulia, Inspector Murphy from our town is abusing his powers without any respect for the law. In fact, he even broke the law and hunted wild animals for their meat. Please ask your uncle and see whether he can do anything about it.â
âWhatâs wrong? Is someone trying to mess with you?â Julia could instantly tell from Amelieâs response that she was in trouble. Therefore, she decided she should waste no more time and added, âAlright, give me a second. Iâll get it done right away!â
Jerome, along with Abby and the others, was terrified to see Amelie snitching on him over the phone, but when she finished the tele-conversation in a matter of seconds, they were all relieved.
âDonât worry! What could she really do, after all?â Tom tilted his head and shook his leg in a sinister manner, unable to take his eyes off Amelieâs beautiful looks. Deep down, his lechery and lust were filling his mind as he was figuring out a way to bed the pretty lady.
At her sonâs words, Abby echoed Tomâs words and nodded. âExactly! Although she might have married a rich man at first, she was cast away shortly after that without a single penny with her. So, what can she really do?â
Believing the reason why Amelie was driven away was that she was not likable, Abby was convinced she could never get the help she wanted.
Jerome replied with an indifferent grunt, dusting himself in an unconcerned manner. âAlright, get this over with! You made me lose a fortune, son!â
In the meantime, the officer actually felt sympathetic for Steven and Amelieâs fate, but for the sake of his livelihood, he was forced to go against his conscience and do Jeromeâs bidding. Thus, he walked up to Amelie once again and was about to take her away.
Soon, Jeromeâs phone rang, whereupon he picked it up and answered impolitely. âHello!â However, as he listened closely to what the caller was saying, the color started to drain from his cheeks. At the same time, he straightened his body and began to act more politely, his forehead covered in a cold sweat that trickled down his skin like rainfall.
âWhatâs wrong? The bystanders fixed their gazes upon the man in a confused manner.
As soon as he hung up the call, his arm dropped as if it had been maimed. In that instant, he even lost the strength to grip his phone properly before it fell onto the ground. At the same time, his face turned pale without any signs of arrogance and insolence that he was showing to Amelie and Steven a few moments ago.
Instead, those expressions were replaced with despair and terror.
At that moment, the telephone in the office also rang, whereupon the officer, who was handling the case, answered it. After hearing what the caller said, he replied with an affirmative hum and hung up the call before walking up to Jerome to handcuff him.
âW-Whatâs the meaning of this?â
The officerâs reaction stunned Abby and the other men who had ingratiated themselves with Jerome.