"Did you just call me over for something this trivial?"
The man in his mid-sixties standing in front of Lunessa fixed Maria with a cold glare.
"Do you think my time is something you can waste so casually," he continued, his voice low and edged with impatience, "just because you feel wronged?"
Maria stiffened.
"But honey," she said quickly, forcing a smile. "That woman stole Marian's card. I saw it with my own eyes—"
"Enough."
The single word cut her off.
The man turned slightly, finally sparing Lunessa a glance. His gaze was sharp and assessing, the kind that weighed a person in seconds.
"Marian's card?" he asked coolly. "And what does that have to do with me?"
Lunessa met Mr. Hale Sr. 's eyes.
'Ah…' she thought wryly. 'So it really is in the genes… cold, distant, and completely unimpressed.'
She straightened her posture despite the ache in her cheek, meeting his gaze without flinching.
"Because," Maria interjected tensely, "you're his father."
Mr. Hale Sr. didn't even look at her.
"That makes it his matter," he said flatly. "Not mine."
The words landed like a verdict.
Then his gaze shifted. It swept over Lunessa from head to toe before settling on her face.
"And you?" he asked. "Who are you?"
"Me—me?" Lunessa echoed, instinctively pressing a hand to her chest, completely caught off guard.
Mr. Hale Sr. tilted his head slightly, one brow lifting in quiet expectation, the kind that made silence feel heavier than words.
She froze.
"Ah, I—I—" The words tangled on her tongue before she finally blurted out, "Er—I'm Lunessa?"
It was the only answer she could give at that moment.
Simple, honest and safe.
"Lunessa," Mr. Hale Sr. repeated, giving a short nod. "Call him here."
"Sorry?" Lunessa blinked hard, clearly not understanding.
"I said," he repeated, his voice low but firm, "call Julian here."
Before she could respond, he turned away, walking straight to the sofa and sitting down as if the matter had already been settled.
Lunessa let out a weak sigh, her shoulders drooping as the tension finally caught up to her.
Only then did she lower her gaze to her phone.
The screen was still lit. The call timer was still running.
Her eyes widened.
'Wait.'
She blinked once and then twice.
'I didn't hang up?'
"Oh—uh," she said instinctively, panic creeping into her voice as she scrambled to lift the phone back to her ear. "Hello? Are you still there?"
Her throat tightened as she waited for the reply from the other line.
"Yes," Julian answered, short and cold.
"Actually," Lunessa gulped, "I'm… I'm at the police station," she said quickly, words tumbling out now that she realized she had been heard the whole time. "Um—something happened, and they—"
There was a brief pause on the other end.
Then his voice came through, "Which one?"
Lunessa blinked, "Err… do you mean the police station?"
She swallowed, glancing around before continuing, her voice dropping again.
"The central one," she replied. "Near the mall."
Another pause followed. Longer this time.
She could almost imagine his expression changing on the other end of the line.
"I'll be there," Julian said at last.
The call ended.
And just like that, she was left standing in the middle of the police station hall, phone still in her hand, unsure of where exactly to place herself or her thoughts. The officers had returned to their desks, Maria sat stiffly on the sofa, and the air felt thick with unspoken judgment.
"Lunessa…"
Mr. Hale Sr.'s voice cut through the awkward silence, calm yet authoritative, and it forced her to lift her eyes.
He was looking straight at her.
"Which family are you from?" he continued, his tone even, almost casual, yet the question itself was anything but.
It wasn't about her name.
It wasn't about the card.
It was about background.
Status.
Lunessa felt her throat tighten.
Family.
If he expected a surname that carried weight, she had none to offer. No wealthy relatives. No influential connections. No respectable lineage that could make him reconsider the way he was looking at her.
"I'm not from any… big family," she answered slowly, choosing her words carefully. "Just an ordinary one."
She held his gaze despite the faint still sting on her cheek, despite the swelling, despite the humiliation from earlier.
There was no point pretending to be something she wasn't. It would be easy for man like him to dig out her background.
Mr. Hale Sr. watched her in silence, his eyes sharp but unreadable.
"Ordinary," he repeated thoughtfully.
The word lingered between them.
And Lunessa had the uncomfortable feeling that, to a man like him, that single word might already be enough to decide her worth.
"Tch." Maria let out a small sneer, the mockery barely concealed after hearing Lunessa's answer.
But to her surprise, Mr. Hale Sr. shot her a sharp side-eye glance, and it was enough to make her stiffen and fall silent immediately.
"How long?" Mr. Hale Sr. continued, his voice calm, almost detached, as if conducting a business inquiry rather than questioning a girl in a police station.
Lunessa frowned slightly.
'How long? Why were all his words so short? Did he expect me to read his mind?'
"I'm sorry?" she asked carefully.
"You can't be ordinary," he went on smoothly, as if her confusion didn't matter, "if his card ended up in your hand."
His eyes studied her with renewed interest.
"You are the first person I've ever known to have his card."
The words made Lunessa's eyes widen slightly.
'The first one…?'
Even she hadn't expected that.
"That's why I think she stole it," Maria cut in again, unable to restrain herself. "Other than that girl who's been lying in a hospital bed like a ghost, there's never been anyone he showed interest in."
The air shifted.
The implication hung there, heavy and uncomfortable.
"Mind your words, Miss Maria," a low, controlled voice came from the entrance. "With that kind of attitude, you might not even manage to marry that old man you're clinging to."
Every head turned.
The shift in the room was immediate.
Julian Hale stood at the entrance, tall and composed, his hands tucked into the pockets of his coat. His expression was as stoic as ever, unreadable and calm but the chill in his voice had already done its work.
Maria's face was drained of color.
"Julian…" she started, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You misunderstood, I was just—"
"Were you?" he interrupted mildly, stepping further inside.
His gaze swept across the room once before settling on Lunessa.
It paused on her swollen cheek and the faint scratches along her neck.
His eyes shifted, something subtle but unmistakable changing in them.
Those who knew Julian well felt it immediately.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"Who did that?" he asked quietly.
No one answered.
His gaze moved again, slower this time, scanning each face in the room.
Then it stopped. His voice lowered, controlled but edged with something far more dangerous.
"Who…" he said, each word deliberate, "the hell… hurt you?"