Out of Control: Into Your Everything-Chapter 177: Not Qualified

Scarlett Shaw’s current home is very close to Veridian; it doesn’t take long to walk there, so she rarely drives to work.

Most of the time, her car is parked in the underground garage.

Scarlett didn’t even think about her car. It wasn’t until she got home that she received a call from the property management and hurried down.

Upon seeing it, she was dumbfounded.

The front of the car was smashed to pieces, with a large dent, making it a heart-wrenching sight.

The once brand-new, clean white body was sprayed with dirty black paint, rendering it unsightly.

The property management pulled out the surveillance footage.

In the footage, three young men, looking like punks, appeared in a leisurely manner, holding sticks and buckets, venting their frustration by smashing and spraying the car.

In no time, the car ended up in its current state.

Julian Ford originally chose this apartment for Scarlett Shaw considering the proximity to the company, but more importantly, the safety factor. The overall quality of the community residents is quite high; not to mention acts like car vandalism, which could constitute a crime, even neighborly quarrels are rare.

The property management never expected such a thing to happen, and continuously apologized to Scarlett Shaw.

Scarlett, on the other hand, directly reported it to the police.

With the surveillance evidence, it was very easy for the police to catch the culprits. However, during the recording of the report, an officer still asked:

"Have you offended anyone recently?"

The first name that came to Scarlett’s mind was Liam Spencer.

She didn’t hide it and directly gave Liam’s name, along with a brief account of the previous dispute with him.

The officer noted down what she said and glanced at someone entering from the door, nodding a greeting: "You’re back, Old Carson." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Scarlett turned her head and saw a face, over fifty, weathered but strong.

Her memory has always been very good, even with just a fleeting glimpse in the hospital, in the other’s unconscious state, having seen him only once, Scarlett still recognized him as likely Officer Theodore Carson, who knew her mother.

The curious young eyes met the deep, sharp eyes of maturity.

Theodore Carson was the first to withdraw his gaze from Scarlett’s clean and bright face and walked inside like a stranger.

Of course, in a strict sense, Scarlett and this Officer Carson were indeed strangers.

Theodore Carson seemed to have just returned from a mission, wearing plain clothes, his movements slow, occasionally clutching his abdomen, clearly indicating that his wound had not fully healed yet.

However, the officer taking Scarlett’s statement suddenly thought of something and called out to Theodore Carson: "Old Carson, didn’t you catch a druggie named Liam Spencer in your precinct a while ago? Is he still in custody?"

Theodore Carson frowned, "Liam? The brat from the Spencer Family?"

"Yeah, that’s him."

"I’ve just been discharged; let me check."

"Alright."

When Theodore Carson came out of the office again, Scarlett had already left the police station.

He casually asked, "So late at night, what did that young lady come to the station for? What happened?"

The officer truthfully explained the situation.

"Liam was just released on bail by the Spencer Family two days ago, so we can’t rule out the possibility of him seeking revenge." Theodore Carson frowned and said, "It’s a bit too dangerous for that young lady to have her car vandalized. Even though the case is small, you should pay more attention."

The officer looked surprised, "It’s rare to see you caring about others. I thought your mind was all about your anti-drug mission and nothing else."

Theodore Carson chuckled and cursed a bit, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and heading outside to smoke.

The night was lonely.

White smoke slowly rose.

"Officer Carson, smoking just after your abdomen wound healed isn’t good for your health."

A clear, bell-like female voice sounded behind him, causing Theodore Carson’s fingers, holding the cigarette, to pause momentarily. He turned around, following the voice.

Scarlett stood in the inky night, watching him.

Theodore Carson grinned, "You’ve got some guts, young lady, handling your own affairs without rushing, and you still have time to care about an old stranger like me."

Scarlett remained unfazed, "Since you know my mother, you are an elder to me, so it’s only right for me to be concerned."

"..."

The cigarette in Theodore Carson’s hand was halfway lit, and he squinted slightly.

Scarlett continued, "Can you tell me how you know Anna Ford?"

Theodore Carson took a drag of his cigarette, remaining silent.

But his eyes grew sharper.

Scarlett thought for a moment, then persisted, "Or perhaps I should ask, how did you know my mother, Serena Ford?"

She paused, observing Theodore Carson’s inscrutable, unsurprised expression, and spoke more confidently, "Your eyes tell me you know I’m her daughter."

Theodore Carson suddenly laughed.

The man, though aged, didn’t show any signs of being worn-out in his weathered eyes, only countless stories.

"Serena and I used to be colleagues."

Theodore Carson’s words were like a bombshell, striking Scarlett’s heart hard.

Although Scarlett and Julian had previously deduced that Serena Ford might be connected to someone in the police, it never occurred to her that Serena herself had been a police officer.

After all, from as early as Scarlett could remember, there had never been any indication of this from either her mother or her father.

She couldn’t help but ask, "Then do you know why my mother changed her identity to Anna Ford? Was it because of some mission?"

Theodore Carson’s eyes were deep, "She was no longer qualified to carry out any missions."

Scarlett was taken aback.

Theodore Carson glanced at her, took another drag of his cigarette, let it circulate through his lungs, and exhaled heavily, his deep eyes carrying a sense of regret and pity:

"You and your mother were very similar when she was young; smart, pure, giving off the vibe that whatever you both pursued, you’d succeed."

But it was precisely because they were young then, filled with blind confidence, leading to grave mistakes.

Theodore Carson glanced at the confusion and the faint anxiety in Scarlett’s eyes, then continued, "It seems you know nothing about your mother’s past, nor that she’s long been unqualified to be a police officer."

Scarlett frowned, "Why?"

The cigarette burned to its end.

Theodore Carson extinguished the cigarette butt, took out another, just about to light it when Scarlett grabbed it away.

She glared at him, her concern mingled with unrestrained anger, showing no intimidation from their first encounter.

It was reminiscent of Serena Ford many years ago.

For a brief moment, Theodore Carson felt he was transported back to years ago, to a time when the four of them shared a revolutionary camaraderie, tightly bonded by Serena’s vivacious, unrestrained nature, only to collapse dramatically due to her mid-action desertion.

"Your mother made an unforgivable mistake during a critical rescue mission, delaying our efforts to save the victims."

Theodore Carson put the cigarette away, his gaze falling on the street lamp.

The street lamp emitted a faint light, much like the times past.

"An originally foolproof operation, due to her mistake, not only cost one hostage their life, but one of our comrades also sacrificed themselves because of her weakness."

"Your mother might have had her reasons and justifications, but such a mistake is unforgivable. She was a proud person, and encountering such an incident was a huge blow to her, so she became a deserter and resigned afterwards."