CHAPTER 433: CHAPTER 433: TOUGHER THAN ANY MAN

Hugh York didn’t expect it.

A seemingly delicate girl, yet she’s more resilient than most men.

He sneered, crossing his legs.

"I didn’t expect your bones to be harder than your mouth. Let’s see how long you can keep that up."

After all, he had all the time in the world to slowly torment his daughter’s adversary.

Just as Ashley Shaw was on the brink of exhaustion, a policeman suddenly entered with a stern expression.

This was one of Hugh York’s own men.

Hugh York sensed something was amiss, but before he could ask, the man bent and whispered in his ear.

"Boss, Vincent Ford is here."

Hugh York’s brow furrowed instantly.

"How does she have so much free time to actually chase all the way here?"

After a pause, he asked, "Did she say what she came for? Is it really for this woman?"

His subordinate shook his head, "Vincent Ford just asked if you’re here and requested you to meet her."

Hugh York’s face was full of impatience.

"She really thinks she’s something! If it weren’t for Chief Hayes, would a woman like her be in the position she holds today?"

In Hugh York’s opinion, he was very dissatisfied with Vincent Ford.

He believed that Vincent Ford’s current position was entirely due to Chief Hayes and the Ford Family.

Little did he know, Vincent Ford truly climbed up the ladder through her own efforts, without relying on any connections.

Most people don’t even know about Vincent Ford’s relationship with Chief Hayes to this day.

Despite his complaints, Hugh York still stood up.

"Where is she?"

"In the chief’s office."

"I’ll head over, you keep an eye on her. Make sure to ’get the truth’."

By "get the truth," he actually meant forcing Ashley Shaw to confess.

To admit she slandered Noelle York.

The maximum penalty for slander and defamation is 36 months, and he was determined to have Ashley Shaw serve every single one of those months.

Because his daughter had indeed suffered significant losses—she missed out on that major project with Owen Sinclair.

Hugh York soon left, and his subordinates didn’t forget to continue questioning Ashley Shaw.

Ashley Shaw felt her throat was almost on fire, yet she stubbornly kept her lips pressed together, refusing to speak.

The other party was anxious but couldn’t resort to any methods of torture here, so they could only use this method of attrition on Ashley Shaw.

A normal man can’t last more than an hour; he was determined to see how long this frail girl could hold out.

...

Office.

When Hugh York arrived, the chief was pouring tea for Vincent Ford.

"This is premium Longjing, sent to me by my wife from Silverstream..."

As the door opened, the chief’s voice abruptly stopped.

"Deputy Chief York."

Hugh York nodded indifferently, then walked over to Vincent Ford with a smile.

"Ms. Ford, what brings you here suddenly? Isn’t today your daughter’s first day of school? How did you find the time amidst all your busy schedules to come see me? You could have just called!"

Vincent Ford, however, didn’t exchange pleasantries with him and directly asked, "I stopped your car, why didn’t you stop?"

Hugh York put on a confused look.

"You stopped me? When did that happen?"

Vincent Ford knew he was pretending, so she bluntly got to the point, "Did you bring a girl named Ashley Shaw from The Medical University? The girl is innocent; you should release her."

Hugh York knew Vincent Ford was always straightforward, but he hadn’t expected her to be this direct.

He chuckled and said, "The girl’s name is Ashley Shaw, but whether she’s innocent is yet to be decided."

As he spoke, he changed the subject, asking, "Do you know her?"

"She’s a friend of my daughter’s. I’ve gotten a rough understanding from my daughter, and this whole thing is just a misunderstanding. You don’t need to bring her here."

Hugh York found himself at a loss on how to respond to Vincent Ford’s directness.

After considering for a moment, he said, "Ms. Ford, I’m still trying to understand the situation. The girl has only said a little... No matter what, once I clarify the situation, I will release her."

Which meant he was not willing to release her just yet.

Vincent Ford’s expression darkened.

Hugh York was giving her no face at all.

It was also because she had been too easygoing before.

She had the chief leave, then said bluntly, "Deputy Chief York, I know you dote on your daughter, and indeed your daughter had some misunderstandings with Ashley Shaw, but no matter what, things haven’t escalated to this point. Why ruin someone else’s future?"

Hugh York pulled up a chair and sat down.

His face still had a smile, but it was obviously much more insincere than before.

"Ms. Ford, I don’t know what your daughter has told you, but from what I understand, the situation is entirely different. Let’s not talk about whether this is really a misunderstanding; it’s not that I want to ruin someone else’s future, but this person ruined my daughter’s future."

"She ruined your daughter’s future?"

"Yes, that’s..."

Hugh York laid out the whole story, further describing the relationship between Ashley Shaw and Owen Sinclair in sordid terms, depicting Ashley Shaw as a barbaric, vicious gold-digger, turning truth upside down.

It turned out, he knew Vincent Ford quite well.

After tarnishing Ashley Shaw’s image, Vincent Ford’s expression was visibly less insistent than before.

She even showed signs of wavering.

She was hesitating about whether to help Ashley Shaw.

After all, having such a friend around, who knows if it might have a negative impact on Jocelyn Hayes.

Not to mention whether the other things Hugh York mentioned are true, for instance, forcibly snatching the clothes her daughter had set her eyes on first.

As to her relationship with Owen Sinclair... such a transactional relationship in exchange for money was indeed despicable.

And this was also her initial suspicion.

Hugh York had hit her weak spot.

Seeing the wavering in Vincent Ford’s eyes, Hugh York suddenly suggested they each take a step back.

"How about this, why don’t you go back first? Let me first understand her situation. Once I’ve clarified everything, we can make the necessary apologies and compensation, trying not to affect the girl’s future too much... What do you think?"

Though he said that, if Vincent Ford left, he definitely wouldn’t just let Ashley Shaw apologize and compensate as he claimed.

This was just Hugh York’s stalling tactic.

This trick wouldn’t have worked on Vincent Ford at the beginning.

But now Vincent Ford herself was wavering, and after several seconds of hesitation, she nodded in agreement.

After all, no parent wishes for their children to make friends with someone of dubious character.

"Alright then," Vincent Ford said. "You can rest assured; let the kids sort out their own issues. If we intervene, it changes the nature of things. Right?"

Hugh York naturally agreed with her statement, "Of course, of course. I’m just bringing her in for questioning."

"As long as you know what you’re doing."

Hugh York smiled warmly.

"Then... safe travels?"

Vincent Ford nodded.

"Alright, I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be on my way. Once you’re done questioning, have someone apologize and release her. That way, I can give Robin an explanation."

"Naturally."

Hugh York smiled warmly as he saw her out, but as soon as she left, he reverted to his true self, returning to the interrogation room with a dark expression.