CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER 24: YOU CAN TRY LEANING ON ME TOO

The police spoke in an official tone: "We have received your report. We will open a case to investigate the charge of rape, but we will also file a case for your intentional injury. Since this is a public prosecution case, whether it constitutes self-defense will be determined by the court."

Talia Rhodes nodded, "Understood."

After posting bail, Talia left the police station and got into Adrian Jennings’s car.

"I’ll make a call to get the case dropped here," Adrian Jennings said.

Talia shook her head, "No need, I’m confident I can walk away unscathed."

Nightfall encompassed them.

Silence surrounded them.

Adrian Jennings’s face was indistinct in the darkness.

His voice was low, "Talia, whenever something happens, you always bear it alone. Actually, you can try relying on me."

Talia was silent for a moment.

Sighed.

"After Mom left, I was down for a long time," Talia’s voice was very soft, "Later, my dad remarried, and it seemed there were no close people left for me in this world."

The night was quiet.

The two sat side by side in the car.

Talia’s face was concealed in the night, the darkness hid the sadness in her eyes. She pretended to speak lightly: "Eventually, I got used to bearing everything by myself."

"Because, I no longer know whom to rely on."

Adrian Jennings’s heart seemed to be pricked by something.

He looked at Talia tenderly, "You still have me."

Talia did not respond.

Today, Winter Donovan’s words planted a seed in her heart.

Selina Hughes, Adrian Jennings’s sister in name, might have unspeakable thoughts about Adrian Jennings.

As far as she knew, Adrian Jennings adored this sister quite a lot.

Though Selina Hughes had a bad attitude towards her yesterday and was scolded by Adrian Jennings for a couple of words.

It wasn’t hard to see that Adrian Jennings was angry because Selina Hughes was being rude and uncultured, embarrassing the Jennings Family.

Rather than standing up for her.

Talia knew that her weight in Adrian Jennings’s heart definitely couldn’t compare to the sister who grew up with him.

If there was a conflict between Selina Hughes and her in the future, Adrian Jennings would definitely stand by Selina Hughes.

To prevent future disappointment, Talia decided not to harbor expectations towards Adrian Jennings.

Seeing Talia’s silence, Adrian Jennings was somewhat frustrated.

He sighed, reaching out to gently rub Talia’s head, "Talia, remember, no matter when, I will always be on your side."

Talia lowered her head, softly replied "Mm."

...

After sending Talia home, Adrian Jennings made a call to get the intentional injury case at the police station withdrawn.

Then he dialed his assistant’s number.

"Check into which hospital the two men who harassed Talia are staying, and handle it."

The man with the tattoo sleeve had just finished surgery and was resting on a hospital bed.

The man with dyed hair lay on the bed next to his.

A masked man walked into the hospital room.

The man with dyed hair and the man with the tattoo sleeve recognized this man.

Earlier at the bar, it was this man who transferred fifty thousand to each of them, telling them to go harass that woman.

If it weren’t for him, they wouldn’t have ended up this way!

Now both his testicles were shattered, and he would have no descendants in the future.

This cost, how could fifty thousand settle it?

The man with the tattoo sleeve was so furious that he gnashed his teeth, "Damn you, why didn’t you tell us earlier that woman had trained, she kicked me and now I can’t have children anymore!"

"Shut up," the man impatiently said, "I’m transferring thirty thousand more to each of you. If the police ask, say you acted on impulse, don’t mention that someone instructed you, understand?"

The man with dyed hair immediately agreed, "Okay."

His arm was just dislocated, it would recover after a while with a cast, earning thirty thousand was totally worth it.

But the man with the tattoo sleeve was unwilling, "Thirty thousand? Are you kidding? I can’t have children anymore, I want a hundred thousand!"

The masked man breathed a sigh of relief, just a hundred thousand.

The lady of the house had said anything below five hundred thousand was fine.

As long as they take responsibility and don’t reveal there was someone orchestrating behind the scenes.

If they disclosed they were instructed, the Rhodes Family and Jennings Family would intervene in the investigation and quickly trace it back to the lady.

He even planned to offer two hundred thousand if the man with the tattoo sleeve didn’t agree.

Who knew this guy could be settled with a hundred thousand.

"Alright," the masked man said in a low voice, "Give me a bank account number, the money will be in your account soon, but if you dare leak a single word, you won’t get the money and you might lose your life. You better think it through."

The masked man threatened, "Own up, the worst case is just a few years in prison, but if you say too much, I’ll make sure you come out feet first."

The man with the tattoo sleeve and the man with dyed hair were scared stiff.

Someone who could easily give out over a hundred thousand clearly wasn’t to be messed with.

They believed this man could do what he said.

...

Soon after the masked man left, Mason Lynch, Adrian Jennings’s assistant, arrived.

"What’s going on, any business left..." The man with the tattoo sleeve thought it was the same man returning, he instinctively began to speak but realized this was a different man, so he hurriedly stopped mid-sentence.

"What?" Mason’s gaze was cold, "Did someone just come by?"

"No," the man with the tattoo sleeve looked up at Mason, "Who are you? Looking for me?"

Mason asked, "Why did you harass Miss Rhodes tonight?"

The man with the tattoo sleeve said, "It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, that chick’s pretty, my buddy and I couldn’t resist."

The man with dyed hair nodded in agreement, "Yeah, that woman is indeed attractive."

Mason narrowed his eyes, "Watch your mouth, if either of you utters more filth, I’ll have someone cut off your tongues!"

As he spoke, two bodyguards in black suits emerged behind him.

The man with with tattoo sleeve and the man with dyed hair were utterly taken aback.

What kind of mess was this?

Only at this point did they realize they had offended someone they shouldn’t have tonight.

Mason asked again, "The truth? Think carefully before you speak."

Remembering the masked man’s threat, the man with the tattoo sleeve and the man with dyed hair dared not reveal a word.

Saying anything would mean receiving no money and losing their lives.

They stubbornly insisted it was due to drinking too much and acting on impulse.

Realizing that he couldn’t get any information out, Mason left with the bodyguards.

...

The next day, as soon as Talia got up, she received a call from the police station saying her intentional injury case had been dropped.

Talia was not surprised.

She knew it was Adrian Jennings’s doing.

Although she was confident that when the case went to trial, she could defend herself and ultimately classify it as self-defense, ending the case with her innocence.

But since Adrian Jennings had already intervened, she had no reason to stop him.

Talia politely made a phone call, thanking Adrian Jennings.

Adrian Jennings’s tone sounded upset, "Talia, no need to thank me, and I don’t want to hear the words ’thank you’ from your mouth in the future."

Talia stood at the bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling window, holding her phone as she replied, "Okay, I understand."

Adrian Jennings continued, "The two people who bullied you last night, I’m going to make them pay."

Talia feared Adrian Jennings might do something illegal, so she said, "They have already paid the price last night, and the law will deal with them. You don’t need to do anything more. Leave the rest to the judicial authority."

Adrian Jennings’s voice was very low, and the pressure was palpable even through the phone, "I won’t let a single one of them who bullied you get away."

Talia listened quietly, without speaking.

She wondered, if Selina Hughes bullied her, would he think the same way?