Chapter 385: Chapter 385: Ominous Premonition
The four officers nodded and, following Julian Hathaway’s order, approached the group and brandished handcuffs.
"Let’s go! Cooperate a little!"
Ashley Shaw frowned.
"We’re not criminals, why are you taking us? If we’re going, it should be to do a statement when we’re available. We’re busy now."
Julian Hathaway revealed his trademark warm smile again.
"Weren’t you quite free just now? Why are you suddenly busy? Unless you realized my cousin did nothing wrong and you were trying to set him up?"
"What setup? Stop making things up!"
"Whether it’s made up or not, we’ll find out after interrogation. Hurry up!"
Julian Hathaway’s men didn’t bother with pleasantries; they intended to take them away by force.
They were rude in words and even rougher in actions.
They picked up the handcuffs, trying to cuff Ashley Shaw, who was the closest to them.
Before Ashley Shaw could react, Jensen Hayes promptly kicked the officer attempting to cuff her two meters away.
Ashley Shaw was shocked and quickly grabbed Jensen Hayes.
"Don’t! Don’t fight them."
"Already did," Jensen Hayes winked at her, his eyes carrying a playful, roguish spirit, and at that moment, his well-hidden sharpness was fully exposed.
Ashley Shaw was secretly surprised at the familiar intensity in him.
She had seen this vibe in Warren Prescott before.
The officers on the other side had already helped the kicked officer to his feet.
Julian Hathaway seemed to have been humiliated, finally wiping the smile completely off his face.
"Do you dare to assault a police officer?"
Jensen Hayes shielded Ashley Shaw and Ariana Grant behind him, turning to coldly gaze at them.
"Police? Do you even deserve to be called that? You’re a disgrace to the profession!"
Julian Hathaway’s face grew even darker.
When he smiled, he looked amiable, but once he stopped or turned serious, he looked genuinely intimidating.
After all, he held a position of power, with certain authority emanating from him.
"You just mentioned you’re studying at the police academy, right?" Julian Hathaway spoke with a calm expression, "Then you can prepare to drop out. As long as I’m in this position, you’ll never work in this field."
Jensen Hayes showed no expression, but Ashley Shaw and Ariana Grant were startled.
If it were true, they would owe Jensen Hayes a great deal.
Even though they had only known Jensen Hayes for less than an hour, even the straightforward Ariana Grant could see how much Jensen Hayes longed to be a policeman.
"Chief Hathaway..." Ashley Shaw instinctively wanted to soften things up for Jensen Hayes, shouldering the responsibility herself.
But just as she started speaking, a deep voice suddenly boomed from the restaurant’s entrance.
"What if you aren’t in that position anymore?"
Everyone instinctively looked towards the entrance.
They saw a slightly chubby man in a police uniform standing there, bearing an authoritative presence without needing to show anger.
Behind him was a group of people also in police uniforms, making the not particularly tall middle-aged man appear quite grand.
The officers immediately showed surprise.
Julian Hathaway’s eyes widened, on the verge of having them pop out of his sockets.
"Chief Jacobs, what brings you here..."
Recovering from his surprise quickly, Julian Hathaway took steps forward, welcoming him, "It’s just a small case, why trouble you to come personally?"
George Jacobs ignored Julian Hathaway, striding directly to Jensen Hayes.
"Ian, are you alright?"
The Hayes Family still used old-fashioned terms of endearment, adding "Ian" to his name to express fondness.
George Jacobs knew the Hayes Family called Jensen Hayes that, so he did the same.
Upon hearing this, Julian Hathaway’s eyes truly seemed like they’d pop out of their sockets.
He remembered Daniel Lynch mentioning that these people had brought reinforcements too.
He never expected that these seemingly insignificant people would have called his boss, George Jacobs.
For a moment, Julian Hathaway was at a loss for expression, standing there, stunned.
Jensen Hayes responded with no expression, "I’m fine now. Had you been a moment later, my future career might have been in jeopardy."
George Jacobs chuckled dryly and apologized, "I’m truly sorry, Ian. I was in a meeting with top leaders when I got your call. I rushed over immediately. But you know how congested the traffic in Aethelgard is. Even then, I came on a traffic officer’s motorcycle."
Jensen Hayes glanced behind George Jacobs, indeed seeing two traffic officers standing there.
He retracted his gaze and spoke calmly, "I don’t blame you for arriving late. I’m just curious how you let such a bunch of reckless guys work under you. Are you letting them run wild on purpose?"
"No, no, no, how could I indulge them? Tell me what happened, and I’ll back you up. Let’s see who dares disrespect you!"
Just as Jensen Hayes was about to speak, Julian Hathaway hurried forward to mend matters, "Chief Jacobs, it’s all a misunderstanding. I didn’t realize they knew you; this is all a classic mix-up. Ian, I may have spoken a bit harsh before, please forgive me this time."
Jensen Hayes didn’t hide the disdain in his eyes.
"How did you call me?"
"I-Ian..."
"Do you even deserve to address me like that?"
Julian Hathaway’s face turned pale, exhibiting a slight sense of helplessness.
Of course, besides the helplessness, a greater sense of puzzlement emerged.
Puzzled at the true identity of Jensen Hayes.
George Jacobs seemed to have read his mind and introduced him, "Jensen Hayes, you can address him as Young Master Ian. He’s Chief Hayes’s direct grandson, his father runs the Veridian Top 100 company SY Group. As for his mother, you met her at yesterday’s meeting, the female director of the Public Security Department, that’s his mom."
"Boom——" Julian Hathaway’s mind instantly felt as if it had been struck by lightning, with a sensation of exploding on the spot.
The puzzling matters from before suddenly became clear.
No wonder the kid wasn’t scared when he announced his background, instead, his eyes became more mocking.
No wonder this kid dared to "assault a police officer."
After figuring these out, his mind didn’t become clearer, but rather messier, accompanied by a chest pain that made even the air he inhaled seem cold.
"So, what exactly did you do?"
George Jacobs asked Julian Hathaway, providing him with a chance to explain.
Even though he’s a subordinate, their paths frequently crossed. If it was a minor issue, he still wanted to extend a hand to Julian Hathaway.
In officialdom, maintaining connections opens more doors.
Julian Hathaway understood George Jacobs’s intention, casting a grateful glance and working to clear his thoughts.
This took just three seconds before Julian Hathaway explained, "It was because of my useless cousin, Daniel Lynch, causing all this trouble."
Daniel Lynch had noticed Julian Hathaway’s reaction and realized that this Chief Jacobs was indeed their department head.
Feeling nervous, being singled out by name induced a strong sense of foreboding.