The Captain I Married by Chance novel Chapter 510

"Nora?"

Leonard Hayes stepped out of his car, his face lighting up with a mix of shock and delight.

"Did you know I was coming?"

Nora had absolutely no idea where her father found the audacity to be so arrogant.

Refusing to even look in his direction, she yanked the car door open and slid into the passenger seat.

"Wait, Nora!"

Leonard clearly had an agenda, but Nora had zero interest in listening to his nonsense.

She shot Julia a look, silently telling her to hit the gas.

Julia got the memo. She slammed her foot on the accelerator, and the car tore away from the curb.

Left choking on a cloud of exhaust, Leonard's excitement immediately morphed into blinding rage.

By the time the dust settled, Nora's car was already blocks away, leaving him to stomp up the precinct steps in bitter frustration.

He had come to bail Aaron out.

He didn't know the exact details of the arrest, but with Mia stuck in a hospital bed recovering from surgery, someone had to get Aaron out of jail.

Leonard certainly wasn't going to play nursemaid.

While Leonard wasn't superstitious.

Aaron's recent streak of catastrophic luck was starting to test his patience.

The boy was becoming a walking jinx.

Getting arrested over a late-night snack was embarrassing; it was like the kid was cursed.

Leonard assumed his mere presence and influence would be enough to get Aaron released on the spot.

He was wrong.

"I apologize, sir, but Mr. Wells is currently a person of interest in an active criminal investigation. Until the preliminary inquiry is complete, he cannot be released."

Leonard scowled. "Not even if I personally post his bail?"

Furious that dropping Nora's name had utterly failed, Leonard's face turned purple.

"Are you telling me I can't bail him out, even with my daughter acting as a guarantor?"

The officer maintained his professional composure, though his tone grew icy.

"Mr. Hayes, I have already explained that Aaron Wells cannot be bailed out until the investigation is concluded."

"This has absolutely nothing to do with Dr. Hayes, so please stop trying to use her name to circumvent protocol."

"If he is cleared of suspicion, he will be released. Until then, please exit the building."

Accustomed to having people bend over backward for him, the consecutive rejections left Leonard seething.

He cared too much about his reputation to throw a tantrum in the middle of a police station, but he refused to go home feeling defeated. Fueled by misplaced anger, he drove straight to the hospital.

In her private room, the anesthesia had finally worn off, leaving Mia whimpering in pain on the bed.

Seeing her father walk in, she immediately put on a pout, expecting him to coddle her. Leonard walked right up to the bed and slapped her hard across the face.

"You useless brat! All you do is cause problems! When are you going to stop being such a massive disappointment and actually make me proud like Nora does? She's building a name for herself at the precinct, and look at you! When are you going to grow the hell up?!"