Chapter 20: Won't Get Beaten Up, Right?

Henry shot Lyle a fierce glare before turning his piercing eyes to Olivia.

"Didn't I tell you not to come? You're going against orders!" he snapped.

Olivia, who had just walked in, stood there, too scared to say a word.

"Mr. Phillips, I came with Mr. White's approval. Don't worry, I won't take any risks. I'll stay inside the police station and won't go anywhere!" Olivia explained softly.

The room went dead silent; even Lyle didn't dare to speak. Henry's presence was overwhelming, just like it had been since school. His temper had only gotten worse over time. Lyle felt a bit sorry for Olivia. Under a boss like Henry, she'd either burn out from exhaustion or be scared to death.

"Henry..." Lyle began hesitantly.

"Mr. Schmidt!" Henry shot him a cold glance.

Lyle quickly said, "Mr. Phillips, rest assured, I will protect your team member well. I promise, as long as she stays in the police station, nothing will happen to her!"

Henry sneered and looked at Lyle. "You can't even protect yourself, and you're saying you'll protect others? Are you joking?"

With that, Henry dragged Olivia into Lyle's office and shut the door. Lyle's heart pounded. "Mr. Phillips won't hit her, will he?" he said to William, worried.

William shook his head, thinking, 'He wouldn't hit her, right? He wouldn't, right?'

With the office door closed, Olivia was scared, but she knew Henry wouldn't hit her. After all, he was a police officer!

With this thought, Olivia straightened her back. "Mr. Phillips, I will follow orders here!"

Henry sneered, looking at Olivia in front of him. He really wanted to hit her. She went against his orders and still acted fearless. Did she think that just because she was pretty, she could ignore his commands?

"Olivia, do you really think I can't see through your little schemes? Pinecrest Village is full of human traffickers, and for over twenty years, we haven't been able to take them down. Why? Because they have local protection, and it's extremely difficult to gather evidence. Without someone to testify against them, even the prosecutor's office can't do anything!" Henry said, his anger palpable.

Olivia knew this, of course. She lowered her head, still hoping Henry hadn't seen through her intentions.

"So, you're planning to use yourself as bait. You have the looks and the figure. As soon as the traffickers see you, they'll target you. Then, the police can follow the lead and gather all the evidence to take down Pinecrest Village in one go. Am I right?" Henry continued.

Olivia was a bit shocked. Henry was really sharp; he had guessed everything she was thinking.

"Mr. Phillips, I'm doing this for the case!" Olivia defended herself.

"Olivia, solving the case is important, but not at the expense of your safety! You're a woman. Do you know what will happen if the traffickers catch you? They'll drug you, rape you, and if they find out you're a cop, they'll disfigure you and harvest your organs, and dump your body in the wilderness!" Henry said, his face contorted with rage.

He glared at Olivia, his neck veins bulging from anger. This terrifying Henry made Olivia's legs go weak.

"Mr. Phillips..." Olivia began, her voice trembling.

"Don't think you can get lucky, and don't expect criminals to have any conscience. They wouldn't be in the human trafficking business if they did! Tonight, you're staying here. Tomorrow, I'll have William take you to the train station. Leave, or I'll have you disciplined when we get back!" Henry fumed and stormed out of the office, leaving Olivia inside.

As he came out, he saw Lyle standing at the door.

Lyle handed him a cigarette. Henry looked at Lyle's slightly trembling fingers and the scars on his hand, feeling a deep sense of sorrow.

"After all these years, you still don't know how to care for women! I think that girl is pretty good. Don't be too hard on her. What's gone is gone; just forget it!" Lyle said, trying to calm Henry down.

Lyle was thin and wore a hat to cover the scar by his ear. He had been shot there, and if he shaved his head, a 4-inch scar would be visible. The bullet had lodged in his brain, and a thirteen-hour surgery saved his life, but left him permanently disabled. His right ear was deaf.

After that incident, Lyle spent two years bedridden. After he recovered, he returned to his hometown to become the local police chief, even giving up the generous benefits of Silverlight City. To him, Silverlight City was a place of heartbreak.

"Lyle, how can I forget? How dare I forget?" Henry said, his voice heavy with emotion.

They stood silently in the yard smoking, the atmosphere heavy. Olivia stood by the window, looking at them outside, feeling an unprecedented weight in her heart.

While confined to the office, Olivia didn't stay idle. She took out her notebook and drafted a plan to take down the human trafficking ring in Pinecrest Village. A key figure in the case was Marshall, the cripple.

Olivia called Lyle and Henry into the office to explain her plan.

"Actually, using girls as bait to lure them into committing a crime is the dumbest method. Based on the information Mr. Schmidt provided, I checked the bank accounts of all key figures in Pinecrest Village and made some discoveries!" Olivia began.

As she spoke, she turned her notebook around for them to see.

"Since they're human traffickers, there must be a division of labor. If Everett, the village leader, is the head, then someone must be managing the finances. After checking, I found that Marshall's account frequently shows different amounts of money coming in and out. He also has eighteen bank cards, and the accounts these cards transfer money to are almost all villagers' accounts," Olivia explained.

Henry looked at Olivia and said coldly, "So you're saying that if we catch Marshall, we'll have the entire criminal process in our hands?"

Olivia nodded. "Mr. Phillips and William went to see him today. With their alertness, they'll definitely make Marshall flee. Only if he runs, the others will feel safe. And as long as he isn't caught, the funds will remain secure. Even if someone ends up in jail because of this, as long as the money is safe, the human trafficking business won't be stopped."

Lyle looked at Olivia, his eyes shining. Olivia reminded him of someone from his past, and his eyes welled up with tears.

"What's your name?" Lyle suddenly asked.

Olivia was taken aback, seeing Lyle's pale face and unusual emotions, she was a bit surprised.

"Mr. Schmidt, my name is Olivia!" she replied.

"Olivia, well done!" Lyle praised, his voice filled with genuine admiration.