Chapter 189
“It’s fine. I’m just meeting a classmate p>
A flash of annoyance crossed Mara’s eyes. Lacey’s hovering was becoming suffocating.
Norman pulled up to the driveway shortly after. Realizing she couldn’t stop her, Lacey felt a sudden, unsettling realization that her daughter was shockingly stubborn.
“If you absolutely must go, I’m coming with you. And we’re bringing extra security p>
“I don’t need you there, Mom. I’ll be back before you know it p>
“Sweetheart, listen to me. Let me go with you.
I’ll stay in the car while you talk to your friend. I promise I won’t get in your way p>
“I said I don’t need you! Why are you forcing this p>
Mara snapped, already dragging Norman toward the exit.
She was already stressed out of her mind, and Lacey’s relentless hovering was pushing her over the edge.
Mrs. Mercer flinched in shock. Mara had never raised her voice at her like that before.
“It’s alright, Mrs. Mercer. I’ll be with her, and we’ll take a few guards. We’ll be back shortly p>
Norman smoothly intervened, defusing the tension.
Though he had no idea what was going on, his instincts screamed that Mara had a very shady reason for sneaking out.
Norman had always been incredibly composed and reliable. His reassurance successfully put Lacey’s mind at ease.
She easily chalked up Mara’s hostile tone to adolescent impatience.
“Alright. Hurry back. Call me if anything happens p>
“Yes, Ma’am p>
Norman strode ahead, opening the car door and offering a smooth bow. “After you, Miss p>
As the luxury SUV pulled away from the sprawling Mercer estate, Norman glanced over at Mara. “Where to p>
“The… the East District Police Department p>
She mumbled the words, her voice barely a whisper.
“What did you do p>
Gone was the deferential tone of a loyal servant. Instead, his voice cracked like a whip, laced with hard authority.
Even the bodyguards sitting in the back didn’t bat an eye at the shift in dynamics. They were all pawns on Mr. Porter’s chessboard, and Norman vastly outranked
Mara.
Mara desperately wanted to snap at him to show some respect, to ask who the hell he thought he was talking to.
But remembering the massive mess she had just created—and knowing she needed his help to clean it up—she swallowed her pride.
“I paid some guys to smash up a bunch of Green Bikes p>
She admitted quietly.
“You idiot. Why the hell would you target the bikes? They all have built-in GPS trackers! You’re literally asking to get caught p>
“Mira is their spokesperson p>
“You can’t even focus on your actual assignments, but your jealousy is completely out of control p>
Then again, Norman and Mr. Porter frequently exploited that exact petty, narrow- minded rage to manipulate her.
“When did you pull this stunt p>
“Today… this afternoon p>
“This afternoon? You skipped your tutoring session p>
It wasn’t that Norman gave a damn about her grades. He was just furious that the
little brat had lied straight to his face.
“Yeah p>
As one of Shane’s highest-ranking operatives, sharp intellect was a
baseline requirement for Normenet
He instantly pieced together the entire timeline
She had used her tutoring block to orchestrate a crime, then waltzed back into the
house pretending she had been studying the whole time.
“Since you’re so brilliant, go ahead and fix this yourself p>
He wasn’t going to spend his life cleaning up her messes.
“Norman, please. You have to help me p>
“Why should I? You went completely rogue. You act like a loose cannon p>
“If you help me this one time, I swear I’ll do whatever you say from now on p>
“Remember you said that. If you pull another stunt like this and step out of line, the boss will make you pay p>
Norman didn’t have much of a choice. Mara was a crucial asset to their operation. Until their ultimate plan came to fruition, he had to keep her on a leash.
“Thank you, Norman p>
Once they arrived at the precinct, the detectives put Mara through a
Î
grueling psychological wringer f didn’t take long for them to extract the entire story.
The final verdict hit like a ton of bricks: the initial money paid to Rex’s crew was confiscated. Every single one of them was slapped wi a twelve-thousand-döflar fine, and they were all sentenced to O thirty-seven days in jail.