Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 9

Chapter 1

My words froze the room for a solid three seconds.My cousin's girlfriend, Jodie Collins, dropped her cutlery onto the table, and the color instantly drained from her innocent face.I sneered inwardly. She was scared already?Before I could even pull out my badge, my spineless cousin, Leroy Huff, flipped.He slammed his cutlery back down, pointing a finger dead at my face as he yelled, "Isabelle Huff! Are you out of your mind? You're making up lies this big to save your pride? If you're in the vice squad, then I'm the king!"My aunt, Andrea Huff, snapped out of her daze next. She chimed in with her usual passive-aggressive malice, "I've always said that Isabelle has loved lying ever since she was a kid."She gets caught doing something shameful by Jodie, and now she's pretending to be a cop? That's a federal crime, you know. Daniel, aren't you going to rein in your daughter?"My father, Daniel Huff, flushed red with rage. He was about to slam the table when my uncle, Jacob Huff,

Chapter 2

The rest of the relatives chimed in, murmuring their disgust.I caught Jodie flashing me a smug smirk in Leroy's arms. It was the arrogant taunt of a winner.Fine. She wanted to play it this way, huh?I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.I was going to call for backup right then and there, but after tapping the screen twice, it went completely black.Damn it. I had worked so late the night before that I'd forgotten to charge it, and the battery was completely dead.Frowning, I tossed the phone back onto the table.Jodie's sharp eyes caught the movement instantly. Adopting her best innocent-act voice, she gasped, "Isabelle, what were you trying to do with your phone just now?"Were you trying to prove your innocence? Why won't you let everyone see? Then again, if your father saw the chat logs in the group chat, he'd probably have a heart attack."Upon hearing that, Leroy looked at me with pure loathing. "Isabelle, you make me sick."Rage boiled in my chest, but I

Chapter 3

Jodie continued, "I can pay to help you clean your slate, and I can even give you a sum of money to leave this city and start over. What do you say? I'm only doing this for Leroy and to protect the Huff family name."She stood there on her moral high ground, practically radiating the halo of a saint.My relatives nodded in unison, singing her praises."Look at Jodie. She's so mature and generous! Isabelle, you'd better get down on your knees right now! An offer like this won't come twice!"I gently propped Mom up against the couch cushions, then slowly drew myself up to my full height.Instead of getting angry, I let out a cold laugh. "Get down on my knees? Start over? Jodie, do you have any idea that intentionally fabricating and spreading defamatory claims carries a sentence of up to three years in prison?"Seeing that I was not only ungrateful but also dared to bite back, the relatives completely lost it.Desperate to suck up to Jodie, the "heiress", they wanted nothing more

Chapter 4

Leroy was pinned flat against the table. His face was distorted, but he still thrashed around."Let me go! Isabelle Huff, you psycho! I'm calling the cops! I'm suing you for assault!"Seeing that I was actually using force, the relatives instinctively shrank back, though their mouths didn't stop running."She's lost it! She's getting violent!""High-class escort? She looks more like a mob enforcer!""She knows she's ruined, so she's just going crazy!"Right then, the front door was kicked open from the outside.With a deafening crash, the security door slammed against the wall, making everyone jump.A tall, imposing figure stepped into the house.He wore a long black trench coat over a gray tailored suit.He was strikingly handsome, his brows and gaze exuding the authority of someone in charge.It was Ian.What was he doing here?My heart skipped a beat. Then, I remembered my broken phone. The sudden disappearance of my GPS signal must have worried him.The moment Ian wal

Chapter 5

The call ended, leaving the disconnected tone to echo through the dead silence of the living room.Leroy scrambled up from the table, rubbing his neck where it had almost been snapped. Suddenly, he burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. "Hahaha! Oh, this is killing me! Keep acting! Don't let me stop you!"He pointed at me, laughing so hard that tears actually welled in his eyes. "Making an arrest? Squad Two? Full tactical gear? Isabelle, did you write this script ahead of time? What, did you hire background actors to dress up as cops next?"It's a tragedy you didn't go into acting. Vice squad? More like the janitorial squad!"Jodie joined in with her sarcastic tone. She smoothed down the hair she'd messed up earlier and resumed her haughty posture. "Isabelle, you really just won't give up, will you?"You're dragging your client into this amateur theater production? Hey, handsome, how much is she paying you for appearance fees? Don't tell me you rented a fake police cruiser just

Chapter 6

Declan's gaze swept across the room, instantly spotting me standing in front of Ian, swathed in his trench coat.He immediately holstered his gun, squared his shoulders, and gave a sharp, firm nod.His voice boomed through the room with absolute authority. "Captain! Vice Team Two is in position. Give the word."That single title—Captain Huff—cut Leroy's lingering chuckles dead in his throat, making him sound like a chicken getting its neck wrung.I leisurely reached into the inner compartment of my bag and pulled out my badge, which I carried with me everywhere.I hadn't had a chance to show it earlier, but now, the timing was perfect.I hung the badge around my neck. The silver shield gleamed brilliantly under the living room lights.Step by step, I walked over to where Jodie sat paralyzed on the floor and looked down at her from above."Let's reintroduce ourselves. I'm Isabelle Huff, captain of the municipal vice squad."I gestured casually toward Ian behind me with a cold s

Chapter 7

Before Leroy's hands could even touch Jodie, the SWAT officers stepped in, pinning him to the floor.With a sharp click, a pair of silver handcuffs secured his wrists.Jodie was cuffed next. She thrashed wildly, her hair disheveled as she shrieked, "I'm innocent! Isabelle, you're abusing your power for a personal vendetta! On what grounds are you arresting me? I want my lawyer!"I watched her descend into madness with total detachment. "A personal vendetta? You flatter yourself. You're not just a suspect for running a prostitution ring, but you're also facing grand fraud charges."Leroy just confessed out loud that you scammed him out of 300,000 dollars. Pair that with the video evidence, and we have a closed evidentiary loop. Take them away!"At my command, the officers hauled Jodie and Leroy up and dragged them out the door.At that moment, the relatives finally realized what was happening.Aunt Sidney collapsed onto the floor, slapping her thighs as she wailed, "Oh, goodness!

Chapter 8

Ian continued, "I hear you have a manager at your company named Terrance Clay? Yes, he's my wife's cousin. It's nothing major. I just find his character questionable and his family upbringing poor."Great, much appreciated. Lowe Group will prioritize your company for our contracts next quarter."Less than a minute after he hung up, Aunt Andrea's phone blared. It was her son, Terrance Clay.The moment she pressed answer, a hysterical wail erupted from the speaker. "Mom! Who the hell did you offend? My boss just called me and fired me on the spot! He said I'm blacklisted from the entire industry! My mortgage isn't even paid off! Mom, you've completely ruined me!"The phone slipped from Aunt Andrea's fingers. Her eyes rolled back, and this time, she genuinely fainted.Seeing the ship sinking, Uncle Jacob tried to slip out the door, but Ian's bodyguards scooped him up like a stray chicken and tossed him into the hallway."Ow!" Uncle Jacob took a nasty faceplant, chipping his front to

Chapter 9

By the time the interrogations wrapped up, it was already well past midnight.I stepped out of the interrogation room, rubbing my aching neck.Ian hadn't left. He had been waiting for me the entire time on a bench right outside the observation room.The moment he saw me walk out, he stood up with a cup of coffee in his hand.It was my exact order—light sweetness, no ice."You must be exhausted."He poked the straw through the lid and held it to my lips.I took a long sip. The rich sweetness coated my tongue, instantly melting away the lingering chill and fatigue of the night."Why are you still here?""You're pulling overtime. How could I possibly sleep alone?"Ian pulled me gently into his arms and rested his chin against the top of my head."You were incredible in there."I buried my face into his trench coat, breathing in his familiar cedarwood scent as a sudden warmth pricked the corners of my eyes."Ian, thank you.""Silly. No need to thank me."His arms tightened a

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