Chapter 383: Chapter 383: No Need for a Sledgehammer to Crack a Nut
Jensen Hayes gave Ashley Shaw a reassuring look.
"Don’t worry, I’ve got people who can handle these small fry."
If push comes to shove, he can always call his grandfather.
Can a high-powered chief not handle a fraudulent scammer?
But why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?
Just calling George Jacobs should be enough.
Daniel Lynch, watching the three of them chatting and laughing, sneered inwardly.
Laugh all you want now, let’s see if you’ll still be laughing later!
Seeing that both sides seemed to have backers, the hotel staff didn’t dare interfere, but they temporarily asked all the dining guests to leave.
The guests didn’t want to get caught up in any trouble, so when the waiters spoke up, they quickly walked out.
The restaurant was temporarily closed, leaving only two hotel managers, the parties involved, and two responding police officers.
After Ashley Shaw and her friends said what they needed to say, they fell silent, making the restaurant so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Soon, a figure appeared at the restaurant entrance.
A lean middle-aged man in casual attire, wearing a leather jacket over it.
During this season in Aethelgard, although summer was over, it only felt cold after the sun went down; most people wore short sleeves during the day.
Wearing a leather jacket now seemed a bit warm.
But Ashley Shaw recognized that the leather jacket was police-issued clothing.
Sure enough, two men in police uniforms soon followed him in, trailing slightly behind the middle-aged man.
"Cousin!"
Only then did Daniel Lynch see him, his eyes lit up, and he hurried forward, saying, "Cousin, you must stand up for me! Not only did they slander me as a scammer, but they also accused me of harassing them and even kicked me. Damn, I almost lost my future generations!"
He covered a certain area with a pitiful yet angry look.
Julian Hathaway furrowed his brow slightly, glanced at the three not far away.
Seeing that they were all youthful and obviously students who hadn’t yet stepped into society, his tone grew impatient.
"Just a few kids, and they can eat you alive? Bringing me here for such trivial matters, do you really think I’ve got nothing better to do all day? If it weren’t for your aunt passing so soon, you think I’d care?"
Julian Hathaway’s dad only had one sister, and his sister, who was Daniel Lynch’s mother, had only Daniel as her son.
But the couple died in an accident early on, so Daniel Lynch was practically raised by Julian’s parents.
The two were cousins, but they were as close as siblings, having grown up together.
Yet Daniel Lynch strayed, causing trouble from a young age, and as he grew, he became even more outrageous, setting up a scam company.
If not for Julian shielding him, their den would have been exposed long ago.
Originally, Julian thought it was fine if Daniel scammed a bit to sustain himself, but recently, a female university student jumped because of Daniel’s "company."
This incident caused quite a stir, and it took a lot of effort for Julian to suppress it.
After that, he strictly warned Daniel to find legitimate work and stop scamming.
Daniel did stay low for a while, but today, he was at it again.
This time, still targeting naive female university students.
When Julian received Daniel’s call, he thought some big shot had uncovered their "model card scam," but it turned out to be just three ordinary students.
"Thank you cousin, you’re like a big brother to me. I knew you’d make time to help me no matter how busy you are." Daniel’s obsequious demeanor was a stark contrast to his earlier attitude towards Ashley and her friends.
Ariana Grant whispered to Ashley Shaw, "Doesn’t he look like a dog?"
"A dog?" Ashley frowned in disgust. "That’s an insult to dogs. Do you think the dogs are happy to be compared to him?"
"Haha, true." Ariana laughed, though she was a bit tense inside.
This guy seemed to hold some power. Would Jensen’s connections be stronger?
Julian glanced at their side again and said coldly, "Don’t bother me with such trivial matters in the future, just find someone under me."
"Oh, cousin, I know you’re busy, but I really had no other choice!"
"You can’t even handle these three?"
His words were dripping with disdain.
"You don’t know, cousin, they called someone. And they aren’t short on words, threatening to lock me up."
Julian raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Oh?"
"I’m serious, cousin. They wouldn’t let me leave, pinned me to the ground, nearly beat me to death, how could I not call you?"
Daniel’s words were obviously exaggerated, yet Julian felt annoyed by Ashley and her friends.
Everyone knew Daniel was under Julian’s protection; daring to treat Daniel this way was like slapping Julian’s face.
Yet his expression remained unchanged, as he walked toward Ashley and the others with Daniel.
Jensen instinctively stepped forward, blocking the two girls.
Though he was slim, his body was all muscle, and combined with his tanned skin, he exuded a strong sense of security.
But Ashley was never one to hide behind others; she stepped up alongside Jensen, even slightly ahead of him.
Jensen knew how this would likely end, so he was calm and unhurried.
But seeing Ashley’s attitude of "even if The Grim Reaper comes, let him come at me first," his heart missed a beat.
The initial attraction to her was an appreciation of beauty.
But now, he truly felt a bit stirred.
Of course, he was confident that there wouldn’t be any issues, so he matched her, stepping half a step forward.
Yet he remained vigilant, ready to act if they dared lay a hand on Ashley.
He had the skills, and the confidence to do so.
However, when Julian approached, he politely extended his hand.
"Hello, are you students from a nearby university? I’m Julian Hathaway..."
Julian introduced himself, and the three realized he was Aethelgard’s deputy chief.
Even though he was just a deputy, in Aethelgard, a deputy chief was more influential than a chief in other first-tier cities.
Ashley Shaw and Ariana Grant both showed surprise.
They knew Daniel must have someone backing him, likely someone significant, but they didn’t realize how significant.
Only Jensen Hayes remained cold and unfazed.
After introducing himself, Julian continued, "Though my cousin seems a bit muddled, he’s reliable in handling things. I think there might have been some misunderstanding. Why not just let it go for my sake?"
Ashley and her friends hadn’t yet responded when Daniel protested.
"Brother, how can we just let this go? At the least, they should be taken away, especially that girl!"
He pointed at Ashley, eyes filled with a certainty of triumph.