Beyond the Divorce

The middle-aged officer hinted that we were bullying Callie, making the father-daughter duo feel more justified. It was no wonder she was so defiant, even in a police station. It seemed she had a powerful supporter.

The middle-aged officer didn't greet the duo. Instead, he maintained an upright demeanor. However, anyone could sense that his words were off.

Callie's dad pointed at us accusingly, saying, "No one has ever challenged the Barkers. You must've lost your mind. It's an honor that Callie chose to date you, young man. Still, you dared to lay your hands on her?"

Frank Barker stormed over and shoved me aside. I was unprepared and couldn't keep my balance with a casted arm. I stumbled backward and was about to fall, and Ivanna rushed to grab me, but it was too late.

I closed my eyes and protected my left arm to brace for impact. Suddenly, I landed in someone's arms. The person then gently lifted and stabilized me. I was terrified as I turned to look at who had caught me. Surprisingly, I saw Jared.

He didn't say a word and glared at Frank.

The latter couldn't help but gulp nervously. Despite Frank's previous arrogance, he glanced at the middle-aged officer.

The officer looked puzzled and was about to speak when Jared's intimidating voice sounded, "Mr. Frank, it's pretty impressive of you to use your family's name within the precinct. Is that appropriate?"

My heart raced. It was no wonder Frank and Callie were so bold. It seemed the duo treated public resources as their private domain, and Frank seemed to consider this precinct his.

Frank turned and eyed Jared's refined appearance from head to toe. He was about to retort when a young officer entered. The latter's eyes widened as he stuttered, "M-Mr. Jared!" Unhappy, Frank asked, "Who is he?"

"H-He's Jarod Attwood," the young officer replied, "I was just about to inform you..."

He saw Frank turning pale as his voice dwindled.

"Jared..." It was apparent the name.

startled Frank. He could not help bet recognizing seemingly

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the name.

Still, Callie boldly stepped forward and said, "So what? Who are you to question us?!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Frank snapped, startling her.

Callie felt humiliated as she scratched the back of her neck, saying, "But he strangled me and-"

A crisp sound echoed through the air as Frank slapped Callie. "I told you to shut it!"

Frank then quickly switched to a

fawning smile and addressed Jared, "Please excuse my daughter's. rudeness. How disrespectful of us. Please come and join us in my office."

Jared replied, "That's okay. I'd like to see how you handle cases here."

Frank smiled and asked, "I-Is there a misunderstanding, Mr. Jared? Did we offend you?"Content provided by NôvelDrama.Org.

"How is hurting someone a misunderstanding?" Jared looked directly at Frank.

Frank's eyes darted toward me and

then at Ivanna before looking at the still-restrained Austin. The former seemed confused but quickly barked, "Release him!"

The two officers immediately let go of Austin.

Ivanna exclaimed, "Austin, are you okay?!"

Pale, Austin forced a smile at Ivanna, saying, "I'm fine. Did he hurt you?"

Jared's eyes darkened, and his jaw tightened when he heard that. Then, he reached for a chair.