Chapter 576
Chapter 576:
The realization hit him hard—Ashton wasn’t just some random guy. He was the key figure behind one of Staville’s most talked-about business moves.
Zane’s aggressive demeanor crumbled, and he awkwardly glanced around.
After a long, tense moment, he abruptly shifted focus to his colleagues, who were still holding the detained criminal.
Desperate to save face, he barked orders. “Have you confirmed the suspect’s identity? We’ve apprehended the thief, so if there’s nothing else, let’s take her to the station for questioning.”
Without waiting for a response from anyone, Zane turned on his heel and hurried away, leaving the scene quickly and avoiding any further eye contact with Ashton or Alisha. The onlookers, astonished at Zane’s abrupt exit, watched as he disappeared into the distance.
As Zane and the others escorted the suspect away, the crowd began to dissolve, with a few bold souls stepping forward to offer their apologies to Ashton. Ashton remained fixated on the path Zane had taken, his gaze a tapestry of tangled emotions.
Alisha, sensing his turmoil but unsure of his thoughts, awkwardly ventured, “I’m sorry, Ashton. I didn’t mean to claim I was your girlfriend just now. You mentioned stepping out for a bit, but when you didn’t return, I started to worry. When I saw you in a heated exchange with that thief, I wanted to help. Please don’t be angry with me, okay?”
Ashton snapped back to reality, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he replied, not one to hold grudges, “Having such a lovely woman pretending to be my girlfriend is a stroke of luck, so anger is the last thing on my mind. But I must admit, I’ve never heard of Zane before. What’s your connection with him?”
Alisha blinked, her expression brightening as she explained, “Zane and I trained together at the police academy. He helped me back then, so we developed quite a good rapport.”
Ashton nodded, mulling over her words in silence, his mind a whirlpool of thoughts.
𝖥𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝖈𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗈𝗇 g𝖺𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝗌⨳𝖈𝗈𝗆
Seeing his introspection, Alisha’s spirits lifted as she teased, “Ashton, are you feeling a twinge of jealousy? It’s not what you think! I just think highly of him because he often came to my aid. He did try to pursue me before, but I never agreed to date him.”
A hint of embarrassment crept into Ashton’s demeanor as he quickly shook his head, clarifying, “That’s not what I meant at all. I was simply pondering how Zane’s actions seemed rather unprofessional. Given that you both attended the same academy, he can’t be much older than you. It’s impressive that he’s already the captain of the criminal investigation team at such a young age, but his handling of the situation seemed lacking. How did he manage to rise so quickly?”
Recalling Zane’s earlier behavior, Alisha sighed, “Zane wasn’t always like this. He usually gets along well with everyone and knows how to navigate tricky situations. Perhaps seeing us together made him upset. His rapid ascent is due to solving several major cases shortly after joining the force, making significant contributions. Even though he lacks experience, his accomplishments were too remarkable to overlook, leading to his exceptional promotion.”
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