The police officers had initially been extrely dissatisfied with Hansen Ruiz's attitude. However, after hearing his call, their faces showed a hint of surprise. To dare call their criminal investigation team captain by na and use such a threatening tone, this person must have so serious clout, right?
They were just ordinary police officers. Except for the one who had glared at Rachel Bailey, the others had just graduated from the police academy and been assigned to the T City Police Station. They had heard of Hansen Ruiz's reputation but had never t the man himself.
After hanging up the phone, Hansen Ruiz walked over to Rachel Bailey. He looked her up and down as if no one else was around. His face was still very dark, but his tone had softened, barely concealing his concern for her. "Are you alright?"
Looking at the ss on the ground, Rachel Bailey said with a pang of heartache, "I'm fine, but my rchandise isn't." Her clothes had been dirtied when the thugs smashed things up, which probably ant her business would suffer again.
So many people around here conducted business without anyone demanding protection fees. Why was her store targeted? She suspected soone was behind it.
But she hadn't offended anyone, except for Adele Horne that one ti. Could it be that Adele Horne still held a grudge and, upon learning she was doing business here, had sent people to sabotage her?
If it really was Adele Horne, should she tell Julia?
No, she couldn't let Julia find out. If Julia knew, she would definitely seek justice for her. Adele Horne already had plenty of complaints about Julia, her sister-in-law, and disliked her intensely. Rachel Bailey didn't want to cause even more tension between Julia and Adele, her sister-in-law, because of her.
"Why did this happen?" Hansen Ruiz gently straightened a few strands of her disheveled hair, his voice tinged with panic. What would have happened to her if he hadn't co?
Infuriated, Rachel Bailey glared at the thugs, who had gotten to their feet and were now trying to curry favor with the police officers. Then, she told Hansen Ruiz what had happened.
After listening to her brief account, Hansen Ruiz's expression beca inscrutable, and an icy aura seed to emanate from him.
"Hansen Ruiz? What are you doing here? Why did you call ? What's happened?" A police car, siren blaring, screeched to a halt in front of the Fashion Flair Boutique just five minutes later.
Hansen Ruiz?
Only then did the police officers and thugs truly register the na "Hansen Ruiz." Their expressions changed drastically. The officers' faces were plastered with sheepish smiles, while the thugs turned deathly pale. They had provoked soone they couldn't afford to, and they would pay dearly for it.
Benjamin Robinson wasn't in uniform but in plain clothes. He typically investigated major cases and habitually wore civilian attire to avoid drawing attention. His tall, imposing, and stern presence was enough to make the officers feel intimidated. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ ɴo(v)elFɪre.ɴet
"Your people from the station are really sothing else!" Hansen Ruiz sneered at Benjamin Robinson. His tone made it clear to Benjamin that *he* was furious.
Rachel Bailey saw Benjamin Robinson again, the hero in her eyes, and couldn't help but steal a few extra glances. Benjamin noticed her too and raised an eyebrow. He was probably wondering how he'd run into this woman again.
Noticing Rachel Bailey's gaze fixed on Benjamin Robinson, and seeing Benjamin look back at her a couple of tis, Hansen Ruiz imdiately felt a surge of jealousy. He had fought for Rachel Bailey, even showcasing his rarely seen martial arts skills. Yet, the mont Benjamin arrived, that ungrateful woman's eyes were glued to him.
He knew perfectly well how Rachel Bailey felt about Benjamin. The last ti they were eating at the Golden Phoenix Inn, she had mistakenly thought she saw Benjamin and had abandoned Hansen to go searching for him.
"I'm leaving this to you. If I'm not satisfied with the outco, we'll settle this later. You know the consequences!" Hansen Ruiz delivered this rather forceful statent, then unceremoniously grabbed Rachel Bailey's wrist and dragged her through the crowd toward his car.
"Benjamin—hey! Make sure they compensate !" Rachel Bailey yelled back at Benjamin Robinson. She couldn't shake off Hansen's strong grip as he dragged her away, but she didn't forget to shout her demand.
Benjamin Robinson unconsciously furrowed his brow. It felt like, after not seeing her for over a month, the woman had developed so sort of connection with Hansen Ruiz. His heart suddenly felt a pang, a heaviness, but he shook it off in an instant.
He instructed a few police officers to first help Rachel Bailey gather her clothes, racks, and other items before taking the thugs to the police car.
anwhile, a jealous Hansen Ruiz bundled Rachel Bailey into his Range Rover and, with a dark expression, drove away from the Fashion Flair Boutique.
"Where are you taking ?" Rachel Bailey asked, sitting in the passenger seat. She instinctively picked up a bouquet of roses that had been occupying the seat. She figured Hansen Ruiz must have been on his way to a date, passed by, seen her in trouble, and decided to help. "Those damned thugs! If you hadn't shown up, I swear I would've fought them to the bitter end! Do you think it's easy for to run a small business? The rent is so expensive, and just when I've barely made enough to cover it, they co looking for trouble. I used to hear people say that running a small business always involves threats and intimidation; it turns out it's all true. I really don't know how those people who later built big companies ever managed to survive the early startup days."
After her anger subsided, Rachel Bailey was filled with a rush of emotions.
She believed many others had surely gone through what she experienced that evening.
"Next ti sothing like this happens, call Valence Group. Let them report it to the police; it'll definitely be more effective than you doing it yourself," Hansen Ruiz advised in a low, stern voice. He wasn't just angry that Rachel Bailey had spent a few extra monts looking at Benjamin Robinson; he was also furious about the police officers' attitude toward her. If he hadn't been Hansen Ruiz, he might very well have been fined for defending himself tonight. Don't assu everyone in a police uniform is a good officer; plenty of them are a disgrace to the word 'justice.'
As a man of imnse influence, he knew all too well the power of authority and wealth.
"I don't want Julia to know," Rachel Bailey replied instinctively, leaning back into her seat.
Glancing at her, Hansen Ruiz had the urge to call her foolish. She had a friend with a powerful background like Julia but didn't know how to leverage that. Then again, if she were truly foolish, she wouldn't have had the sense to call him for help in the first place. Perhaps she didn't want to trouble Julia because she was afraid of worrying her. If Julia knew Rachel was constantly being bullied, she would undoubtedly be indignant and seek justice for her.
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