An Understated Dominance - Chapter 100

As chaos erupted outside, the inspector’s office at the police station remained calm and peaceful.

“What’s going on, Mr. Gardner? Has the kid confessed yet?” the Cobra asked impatiently as he took a seat. “It doesn’t matter if he has. Anyone I handle will eventually give in.”

The overweight inspector took a puff from his cigar, looking pleased with himself. “It’s easy to talk tough when you’re here, but things can change quickly. You should deal with this before it gets worse,” the Cobra suggested.

“Why do you say that? Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?” Gardner shot him a cold stare.

“Not at all. I wouldn’t think of it. I just know the kid has someone backing him up. If this drags on, we could face trouble,” the Cobra said, quickly adding an apology.

“What trouble could there possibly be? I’m just doing my job. This is my territory. Who would dare go against me?” Gardner replied confidently.

“That’s true, Mr. Gardner. You are Mr. Granville’s son-in-law, after all. Who would disrespect you?” the Cobra flattered.

“Hmph! At least you know that!” the inspector laughed heartily. He took more pride in being the mayor’s son-in-law than in being an inspector. The title of mayor was the highest power in all of Swinton.

“Mr. Gardner, this is a gift from Sir Anderson. Please accept it,” the Cobra said, presenting a gift box with both hands.

Gardner opened the box, and the sight of the golden accessory brought a smile to his face.

“Sir Anderson is too generous. Please thank him for me! And tell him I will handle this with extra care,” Gardner replied.

“Make sure nothing goes wrong!”

“Thank you, Mr. Gardner!” The Cobra bowed his head in appreciation.

While they were talking, the squad leader who had made the arrest walked in without knocking.

“Is something wrong?” Gardner quickly closed the gift box.

“Sir, the Nicholson family just sent someone to ask for Dahlia’s release on bail. They are willing to pay a large amount,” the officer reported.

“Absolutely not! That woman is a wanted criminal. We cannot let her go. Send them away!” Gardner waved his hand dismissively.

“Yes, sir.” The squad leader turned and left.

But less than a minute later, he knocked on the door again.

“What is it now?!” Gardner snapped, clearly losing his patience.

“Sir, Ms. Harmon called earlier. She claims we’ve arrested the wrong person and wants us to release Dustin Rhys immediately,” the officer explained.

“Ms. Harmon? You mean Natasha Harmon?” Gardner’s expression went serious.

“Yes, that’s her,” the officer confirmed.

“Cobra, what’s happening? You didn’t mention that this kid had anything to do with Natasha!” Gardner’s eyes narrowed. Natasha was a powerful woman with money and influence. He didn’t want to offend her without good reason.

“Mr. Gardner, he’s just someone Natasha cares about. He doesn’t have any real connections. You don’t need to worry about him,” the Cobra assured Gardner.

“Let’s hope that’s true!” Gardner said, slightly flustered. He then instructed the squad leader, “Tell Natasha Harmon that we don’t have anyone by that name in our patrol room.”

Since he had promised Duane, there was no turning back now. For the moment, the best thing to do was to keep it quiet.

But as soon as the squad leader left, Gardner’s phone rang.

“Mr. Anderson?” he said, surprised by the caller ID. Why was Mr. Anderson calling him at this hour? Could it be about the kid? It felt too coincidental.

Trying to push the thought away, he answered the call, still feeling uneasy.

“Hello, Mr. Anderson! How can I help you?”

“Mr. Gardner! Did you arrest a young man named Dustin Rhys?” Hunter got straight to the point.

“Oh? Did I? I wasn’t aware of that,” Gardner replied, his heart racing but trying to stay calm. “Mr. Anderson, is something wrong?”

“Gardner! Don’t mess with me! You need to release Dustin right now! If you don’t, I won’t hesitate to cut ties with you for good!” Hunter shouted.

“Mr. Anderson, there must be a mistake! I don’t know anyone named Dustin. Let me check into it for you,” Gardner said, putting on a false front.

He couldn’t reveal the plan.

“Fine, but mark my words, if anything happens to Dustin, you and your family will pay the price!” Hunter warned before hanging up with a growl.

“Did that old man wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?” Gardner muttered, clearly annoyed.

“Sir, what’s wrong?” asked Cobra, looking concerned.

“What’s wrong? Who gave you the right to ask me that?” Gardner slapped his hand on the table.

“You say the kid has no background? Mr. Anderson just called to talk to me about him! Does that sound like someone with no background to you? Are you trying to set me up, you jerk?!”

Natasha Harmon was already a handful. Now that Hunter Anderson was involved, it felt like he was being roasted over an open fire.

“No way! There’s no way he has connections to Mr. Anderson! I—I really didn’t know about this,” the Cobra stammered, his face going pale.

“Quick, call Duane now. This is getting out of control. He’ll have to pay me more if he wants this sorted out smoothly,” Gardner instructed.

“Alright, alright. I’ll call Sir Anderson right away!”

The Cobra quickly dialed Duane’s number and explained Gardner’s request.

After getting a positive response, he reported, “Sir, Sir Anderson has agreed to double the price as long as you can get the job done!”

Hearing this, the tension in the inspector’s face finally relaxed.

“Sir Anderson is very generous! In that case, I’ll do my best!” he said, smiling with relief. Money really does make things easier. A good payout often leads to a smoother resolution.