Chapter 80

Chapter 80

When Lynn learned that Jessica had been hired, her eyes widened instantly before genuine happiness flooded her features. "That's amazing, Jessica! Congratulations!"

After the celebration, she couldn't help but sigh, stirring her lemon water with a hint of disappointment. "I wasn't so lucky. I got cut in the first round."

"You're talented too. There'll be other opportunities," Jessica offered kindly.

Lynn managed a weak smile, then her expression turned serious as if remembering something important. "Jessica, now that you're hired, you need to stay far away from Isolde Porter."

Jessica's brow furrowed in confusion.

"I've heard she's got some cushy desk job at the precinct but barely shows up. But when she does? Total chaos." Lynn's voice dripped with disdain. "Her temper's absolutely vile. Everyone has to coddle her, worship her—if anything doesn't go her way, or if someone even looks at her wrong, she loses it completely. She screams at them until they're in tears. There was this clerk who didn't bring her coffee fast enough once. Isolde spent half an hour verbally eviscerating her. The poor woman quit the next day, sobbing."

Lynn's face twisted with deeper revulsion. "Her scandals aren't even secrets in Sunrise City's elite circles. Back in school, she fought over some boyfriend and cornered a girl in an alley with her friends, sending her to the hospital. Another time at a bar, a waiter accidentally spilled a drink on her dress. She smashed a bottle over his head, and cracked his skull open. Every single time, it gets swept under the rug. Chief Bishop always cleans up her messes, protects her from consequences."

How could a legendary police chief renowned for her iron will and unwavering justice have such an arrogant, lawless daughter who treated human life like garbage?

Jessica fell silent. She couldn't reconcile the sharp, commanding Calliope from the conference with this image of a mother covering up her daughter's crimes.

Yet beneath her disappointment, an emotion stirred that Jessica hadn't expected—envy.

Some people could make mistake after mistake, live recklessly without fear, simply because they had parents who would shield them unconditionally.

Noticing Jessica's melancholy expression, Lynn sighed and leaned in, lowering her voice to share something deeper.

"Actually... there's a reason Chief Bishop spoils her so much." Lynn's eyes held complicated emotions. "I heard from old-timers at the precinct that Isolde didn't grow up with Chief Bishop. She got lost as a child, missing for years. Chief Bishop didn't find her until she was thirteen or fourteen, living in some remote mountain area."

Jessica looked at Lynn, finally voicing the question that had been nagging at her. "How do you know all this?"

These weren't the kind of secrets ordinary officers would have access to.

Lynn's gaze flickered away. Her fingers paused mid-stir in her lemon water. She ducked her head. "I... I had a really close friend who accidentally crossed Isolde. Isolde had her people rough her up. She had to quit and leave Sunrise City entirely."

She looked up, eyes reddening. "That's why I pay such close attention to anything about Isolde. That's why I hate her so much."

The explanation made sense—loyalty to a wronged friend. It immediately dispelled Jessica's suspicion.

Her impression of Isolde soured even further.

They chatted a while longer before Lynn excused herself.

Jessica sat alone for a moment, then stood to use the restroom.

The restaurant's hallway faced floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street. As she passed, her gaze swept outside without thinking.

There, in a parking spot along the curb, was a sleek black Bentley. That understated yet commanding design, that unbearably familiar license plate.

Jessica's heart skipped violently. Her feet stopped of their own accord.

She almost turned back to hide in her booth, but stubbornness rooted her in place. Why should she hide?

In that split second of internal conflict, she blinked—and when she looked again, the parking spot was empty.

Jessica laughed bitterly at herself, shaking her head.

She was losing it.

There was no way he'd be here.

She pulled her gaze away and hurried into the restroom, dismissing the ridiculous hallucination entirely.

Yet just thirty seconds earlier, inside that black Bentley—

"Drive. Now." Michael's eyes locked on the rearview mirror, watching that slender figure freeze. His gaze darkened as he issued the cold command.

Justin, behind the wheel, nearly jumped out of his skin and almost slammed the gas instead of the brake.

He caught a glimpse of his boss's thunderous expression in the mirror while jerking the wheel to merge into traffic. He ventured cautiously, "Chief Sullivan, we're just... leaving? Ms. Brooks seemed to spot us. Shouldn't we at least say hello?"

Michael's jaw was clenched so tight it could crack teeth. Those ice-blue eyes roiled with suppressed fury and something else—something almost like embarrassment, though he'd never admit it.

He'd driven all this way, and what did he find? Her laughing with some other woman, celebrating a job offer from the Autumnleaf District Precinct.

She clearly hadn't spared him a single thought. New job, new friends, new beginning—everything moving forward without him, perfectly on track.