Chapter 574
Chapter 574:
Zane wasted no time. Ignoring the woman Ashton had restrained, he turned sharply toward Alisha, frustration evident on his face. “Alisha, didn’t you tell me you were focusing on your career and had no interest in dating? How is it that the minute I’m out of town, you’re suddenly on a date with someone else? Who is this guy?”
Before Alisha could respond, Ashton opened his mouth to explain, but Zane wasn’t finished.
He turned his glare toward Ashton, his voice laced with warning. “You, Ashton, right? Let me give you some friendly advice. Alisha is the daughter of Staville Police Department’s director, Rayden Smith. You should really think about where you stand. Don’t even for a second imagine that she’d be interested in someone like you. Alisha’s not someone an ordinary guy like you can pursue. You’d be smart to walk away and stop wasting her time.”
Zane’s arrogant tone didn’t sit well with the crowd. Whether they felt guilty about their earlier false judgment of Ashton or were simply put off by Zane’s attitude, a few onlookers began murmuring in Ashton’s defense.
As soon as Zane finished his rant, someone in the crowd called out, “Who does this guy think he is? Who gave him the right to meddle in her personal life?”
“Exactly! I heard her call him her boyfriend. They look like a perfect match. What’s it got to do with you, man?”
Alisha had been on the verge of explaining that she had pretended to be Ashton’s girlfriend earlier to help him out of a sticky situation.
But Zane’s over-the-top reaction caught her off guard. In her memory, Zane had always been kind, the older brother figure who looked out for her.
This angry, jealous side of him was completely unfamiliar. For a brief moment, she was stunned into silence, unsure of how to respond.
Ashton, on the other hand, frowned as he observed the interaction. He’d noticed Alisha’s friendly demeanor toward Zane earlier and assumed they had a close relationship, which was why he’d intended to stay polite.
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But watching Zane abandon his responsibilities to pick a fight over something personal made Ashton’s opinion of him plummet.
With a calm yet skeptical tone, Ashton replied, “Officer, aren’t you here to arrest the criminal? We’ve already done the hard part by catching her for you. Maybe you should focus on your job and take her in for questioning instead of causing problems for me. Don’t you think this behavior is a little unprofessional?”
Zane’s face twisted into a sneer at Ashton’s words. “Unprofessional? Let me remind you that I’m the captain of the criminal investigation team in Staville. Even on my worst day, I’m more professional than you’ll ever be. And it’s not your place to question me,” he snapped.
“The captain of the criminal investigation team, huh?” Ashton repeated, his voice cold and unimpressed.
Instead of being intimidated by Zane’s boast, Ashton’s gaze hardened, filled with disdain.
“I don’t care about your title,” Ashton said firmly. “If you’re in the wrong, I have every right to call you out on it. As the captain of the criminal investigation team, you should focus on doing your job—solving cases swiftly—rather than letting your personal feelings cloud your judgment.”
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