?Chapter 175:


    But no matter how long Marc argued with the officers, they stood firm and refused to let her go.


    “Haley, just stay calm. Let me figure something out. Clinging to me won’t solve anything, right?” Marc tried to reason, pulling her hand away.


    Tears welled up in Haley’s eyes as she watched him turn and leave the station. Momentster, the officers came forward, took her by the arm, and led her into the holding cell.


    Once outside, Marc wasted no time and called a contact of his who had ties to the police station.


    “Doug, help me get Haley out of there. I’ll throw in a two-point discount on any Walsh Group project you handle,” Marc offered.


    But Doug wouldn’t budge easily. In the end, Marc had to give up a valuable project—one that had taken months tond—just to get Haley released.


    Doug’s eyes gleamed slyly. All this for a woman? If Marc was throwing away top-tier projects for Haley, then clearly, things weren’t looking too good for the Walsh Group.


    Marc eventually got Haley out, but the entire episode was caught on camera by nosy reporters. It made its way onto Choria’s trending list and refused toe down for days.


    Marc became the butt of every joke in town. Fed up and humiliated, he drowned his frustration at a bar.


    Johnny and Tommy sat beside him, helplessly watching as he downed drink after drink in silence.


    Back when Ste was around, Marc always looked put-together, polished, and even stylish. Now, his clothes were wrinkled, his jacket didn’t match his tie, and he lookedpletely off, like someone who had stopped caring.


    Johnny clicked his tongue and gave a low whistle. “Man, say what you will about Ste, but at least she made sure you didn’t walk around looking like a mess. Guess she had her uses after all, huh?”


    Johnny’s offhand remark hit a nerve, and Marc shot upright, ring at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”


    Johnny flinched, immediately waving his hands in defense. “No, no—slip of the tongue! I didn’t mean anything by it. I just meant your outfit is… uh, something else!”


    Marc turned back around, his voice low and cold. “From now on, don’t ever mention that woman in front of me.”


    Johnny exchanged a look with Tommy. One nce said it all—they’d both seen Marc like this before, but never this bad.


    Tommy cleared his throat and said gently, “Marc, are you really nning to just let things go on like this? You were married for years. Maybe it’s best to end things cleanly and stop holding on.”


    He reached out, intending tofort Marc with a pat on the shoulder, but Marc jerked away.


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