Testing The Waters

With a glare, she took the lead to guide Ethan into the office. She headed straight to the second cabin with the nameplate of Mr. Cornell. Ethan noticed how she didn't knock on the door before entering.

A middle-aged man with a pot belly sat on the other side of the table. He smiled upon seeing the officer, but his smile stiffened and soon transformed into a glare when he noticed Ethan following her.

"Cornell! Did you take Mr. Ethan's form and submit it?" The man glared at Ethan sharply before turning to his boss and shaking his head.

"This gentleman here contacted me two weeks ago. He wanted to open a small restaurant in the suburbs of Frontrail Street. He gave me all the required details and paid the fees. However his form did not meet the requirements, so I rejected it and returned the money. I personally went to his house to return it to him. I even offered help if needed, but since then, this man never contacted me. So I thought he might have changed his mind. How am I supposed to deliver it to him today?" The woman frowned and nodded with a cold look.

"Did you hear that?" She looked back at Ethan. "Since you did not update your details or confirm with us, your license was not issued. Now go back and close that restaurant until you get your license." Her cold voice was full of authority. Most people would bow down and leave or beg for mercy, but she was surprised that the smile on Ethan's face did not change from start to finish. He looked at Cornell and then at her as if they were fools.

Cornell felt the rage most. He gritted his teeth and glared at Ethan. "Did you not hear us? Leave already. Why are you still standing here?" Though the woman frowned at her junior's rude reply, she did not point it out but stared at Ethan, silently asking, "Why are you still here?"

"I heard both of you well," he replied with a smile, "but I have my own questions. Did you say you informed me by visiting my house that the form did not meet the requirements?" A hint of panic crossed the man's face, but he nodded.

"That's right. I remember you were wearing this same shirt that day too." The man sounded so confident that one could not find a flaw in his voice.

"Then can you tell me where I live?" The woman frowned, realizing the meaning behind this question. Her head snapped to her junior.

Cornell felt the pressure coming from his boss and cursed Ethan in his heart. He had been told that this man had no connections and was short-tempered. Even if he came to question him, he would lose his cool and start cursing and shouting. In that way, they could throw him out or, better yet, send him to the police bureau. The plan was perfect, but it was not followed. Why was Ethan so calm, and why did he have that smile on his face?

"Elder Street, number 5," the man spat with venom in his voice. But the smile on Ethan's face only broadened.

"That is a long street. Do you know the name of my building? Forget the name. When you came, you must have noticed its color. What was the color of my building?" His eyes glinted with treacherous light as he watched the frown on the officer's face deepen. She noticed the change too, her eyes narrowing.

"Why are you not replying to him? Tell him." She spat with a warning, making the man flinch.

"He is lying. When I called him, he said he would meet me on the street only. I informed him while we were standing near the street light. How am I supposed to know the house number or the color of his building then?" he mumbled in a hurried manner. Realizing he might have looked panicked, he cleared his throat. "Why are we still entertaining him? You can already leave." But the woman was not impressed with the reply. She had seen various types of cases in her career, and this one was not as simple as it looked at the start.

"You called me, and I called you back, right? Do you know my number? Can you show it in your logs?" To prove his point, Ethan already took out his phone and opened the logs where the man had not called him even once. The logs did not have any number that was not saved. He silently waited for the man to take his phone out and show it. The lady officer tapped the table with an impatient look on her face. But the man had nothing to reply.

He took out his phone and pressed some keys, looking at his screen with a miserable expression. "Oh! I just remembered, my son was playing with the phone yesterday. He deleted my call logs, so I cannot show it. He must have deleted it to prove me wrong. He behaves like a trained criminal. We should already get rid of such people." At this point, the woman's face was completely red and dark. She wanted to hurl curses, but she was controlling herself because Ethan was a stranger. No matter how bad their relations were, she could not let her office be guilty in front of the public. It would be bad for their reputation.

"Do you think anyone would believe this excuse?" she replied after a deep sigh to calm herself, but she was surprised when Ethan laughed.

"Oh, I will believe it. It must have happened if Officer Cornell is saying so." He nodded, confusing both Cornell and the lady officer. "But since you came to meet me, can you tell me which way you took? The East Glory one or the South Urban road that was recently repaired?" Repaired? The man clenched his jaws hard. Both roads were new to him since he had never been to the slums in his life. He earned well and often took bribes from his customers to support his lavish lifestyle. Why in the world would he go to those kinds of places?

"The East Glory road," he announced with confidence, only to get a chuckle this time. Ethan's voice was so loud and mocking that many turned to look at the closed cubicle, wondering what was happening.

"Ah! I did not know that your job provided helicopter service too since the East Glory road was blocked recently after the South Urban road was repaired. It has been blocked for two weeks due to a broken pipeline. Or did you try swimming this time, officer?"