Silas Thorne stared at the photo, saying nothing.
Quentin Walsh, however, added in a low voice, "The argument on your wife's birthday was likely also because of this man."
Silas Thorne said coolly, "We're going back to Graymoor."
"There's a typhoon in Oakhaven today. All the flights are grounded, and it probably isn't safe to drive either," Quentin Walsh reminded him. "Don't you worry. With her personality, she'll be fine. Once the typhoon passes, we can head back first thing tomorrow morning."
Nearby, Felix Dalton grumbled to himself:
'Wasn't this supposed to be a marriage of convenience with no feelings involved?'
'It sure doesn't seem that way to me.'
——
「Inside the police station」
Both parties were in the mediation room. The Suttons had already arrived, and the police had pulled the surveillance footage, so they knew exactly what had happened. Ina Sutton was something of a regular here, having been brought in more than a few times over relationship drama.
Usually, she was the one bullying others, and the Sutton Family would just pay to make the problem go away.
So when the officers learned she was the one who had called, they couldn't help but think:
'Which poor girl got unlucky this time?'
But as it turned out...
This time, she had finally picked a fight with the wrong person.
"Officer, just look at my face! Look at what she did to me! I want a medical examination for my injuries. I'm going to sue her until she's thrown in jail!"
Ina Sutton had never been so wronged in her life. The moment she saw her parents, her eyes welled up with tears.
Joyce Monroe let out a low laugh. "I hit you? You had it coming!"
"Miss Monroe, watch your tongue!" Ina Sutton's father, Timothy Sutton, warned in a low voice.
"She came to my studio looking for trouble first. She destroyed over twenty thousand dollars worth of embroidery, insulted me, and then tried to attack me. I was pushed to the brink and had no choice but to defend myself."
"Over a hundred thousand?" Ina Sutton sneered. "Joyce Monroe, you might as well just be a robber!"
"The two pieces of embroidery you ruined were purchased by my mother at a high-end auction abroad. I have the certificates of authenticity and the transaction records from the auction house. Would you like to see them?"
"Willful destruction of property, especially of such high value, can land you in prison for over seven years."
"You acted out of spite. I acted out of self-defense after being pushed too far, which is justifiable. The security cameras will back me up. I, for one, am very curious to see who's really going to jail!"
Ina Sutton froze, then turned to her father.
Timothy Sutton offered her a placating smile. "Miss Monroe, must we haggle over every detail?"
"Haggle? I'm simply stating the facts."
"She provoked me time and again back in school. I just got back to the country, and she shows up to ruin my birthday. This time, she actually brought people to trash my studio. A few slaps were letting her off easy."
Timothy Sutton's expression was clearly strained.
Joyce Monroe continued, "I'm not her mother or father. I have no obligation to coddle her."
"You and my father are acquainted, so I call you Mr. Sutton. That's a sign of my good upbringing, not an invitation for you to walk all over me!"
This was a direct, head-on confrontation.
Lily Kennedy, watching from the side, silently applauded.
'That's my girl! She's incredible!'
Timothy Sutton was in his late forties or early fifties. Being admonished by someone from the younger generation was a clear loss of face, but his daughter was in the wrong. He could only grit his teeth and ask, "So, what do you want?"
Joyce Monroe sat back in her chair, looking completely at ease. "Compensation and an apology."
"Impossible!" Ina Sutton shot to her feet. "You hit me in the face, and you think we can just let that go?"
"Didn't you have it coming?"
"I've never seen someone actively show up asking for a beating. Is this what people call... being a glutton for punishment?"
The officer felt a headache coming on. This Miss Sutton had truly messed with the wrong person.
"Dad—" Ina Sutton tugged at her father's arm. "Look at her! She's so arrogant!"
"My granddaughter is a little arrogant. What of it?" A deep, weathered voice came from the doorway as an elderly woman with a cane and a full head of silver hair entered the mediation room.
She wore a navy blue, embroidered top of mulberry silk, her bearing was stately, and a pair of emerald earrings glinted at her ears, exuding opulence.
"You came here to stir up trouble, and you think you're in the right? Are you picking on us because you think the Monroe Family is an easy target?" the old woman said coldly.
"Grandma," Joyce Monroe pursed her lips. "What are you doing here?"
"You've ended up at the police station, and you still thought you could hide it from me?" The old woman walked over, taking Joyce's hands to inspect them. She only let out a sigh of relief after confirming she was unharmed. "How could you not tell me something this serious happened!"
"I didn't want to worry you."
"I'm your grandmother, not a stranger."
As she spoke, Mrs. Monroe turned to Timothy Sutton. "Is this how the Sutton Family raises its daughters?"
"Mrs. Monroe, it is my failure. I haven't been strict enough with her," Timothy Sutton said, quickly pulling his daughter forward to apologize.
"Joyce Monroe was the one who hit me!" Ina Sutton seethed.
Mrs. Monroe snorted. "Then you must have been asking for it. Our Joyce would never hit someone without a reason."
In the end, the entire incident concluded with Ina Sutton paying compensation and issuing an apology.
Both parties signed a settlement agreement, but Ina Sutton was still fuming.
"Dad, she hit me!"
"Who told you to go to her studio and start smashing things? You idiot!" Timothy Sutton was both furious and frustrated.
"Miss Monroe, you should apologize as well." At the officer's suggestion, Joyce Monroe also said "I'm sorry," since she had, after all, resorted to physical violence.
Even so, the police officer reprimanded them both separately.
Lily Kennedy had planned to wait for Joyce Monroe, but she had matters to attend to back at the studio, so she had to leave early.
As Joyce Monroe walked out, she came face-to-face with Ina Sutton's parents.
"I'm so sorry to have troubled you," Ina's mother finally spoke up. "Something happened to her a few days ago, and she's been on edge ever since. We'll be sure to bring her to you to formally apologize another day."
She handed Joyce a bank card containing $100,000 in compensation.
Joyce Monroe took the card, exchanged a few brief pleasantries, and turned to leave.
Walking out of the police station, she called Lily Kennedy. "How are things at the studio?"
"It's fine. Just the embroidery pieces were damaged. I'm having someone repair them. They're a bit dirty, but they'll be good as new after a cleaning and remounting."
"Thanks for taking care of it."
"Don't be so formal with me. By the way, news of your fight with Ina Sutton is already spreading. And it seems Julian Griffin sending you those flowers... word is he had someone leak that information to Ina himself."
The corner of Joyce Monroe's mouth curled up. "No wonder he showed up right on cue."
"He probably wanted to play the hero swooping in to save the damsel in distress. He just didn't expect the damsel to be so vicious."
Lily Kennedy laughed, then changed the subject.
"By the way, you get flowers from so many suitors and you don't give them a second glance. But you put the poppies you've been getting these past few days on display in the office. Who did you think they were from?"
Lily Kennedy had been curious about this for a long time.
"My husband."
"Did you drink some bad liquor on your birthday a few days ago? Did it fry your brain? Pouncing on Mr. Thorne was one thing, but now you're hallucinating that you're married to him?"
"Lily Kennedy, I'm not joking!"
"Should we add a head CT to our studio's annual physical this year?"
"..."
Joyce Monroe felt helpless. No one believed her even when she told the truth. Just then, she saw her grandmother and hung up the phone.
Mrs. Monroe was speaking with Julian Griffin, who had followed them from the studio and waited outside the police station the whole time. Seeing her granddaughter, Mrs. Monroe immediately asked, "Is everything taken care of? Are you coming back to the old house with me tonight?"
"I can't. I have work tomorrow, and the old house is too far from the studio."
"I knew it. You young people don't like spending time with a little old lady like me."
"Monroe, tonight's incident was my fault. Why don't I take Joyce home?"
"Joyce?" Mrs. Monroe glanced at her granddaughter, asking for her opinion.
She just smiled. "Alright. Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Griffin."
——
Meanwhile, in Oakhaven, Silas Thorne had just received an update.
Julian Griffin took a bouquet of flowers from his car, presented them to Joyce Monroe, and personally drove her home.