Speculation, Dreams

Given how Brad did things, it was hard for him to win Luke's acknowledgement.

Dustin, who was in the middle, had tried, but Brad had been too focused on returning to New York.

No matter how capable a minor detective in Los Angeles was, there was no need to take him into account.

Luke, on the other hand, politely and decisively refused to get close to Brad. Dustin tried several times, but to no avail.

Neither of them liked the other, which wasn't something Dustin could resolve on his own.

Dustin confirmed Luke's suspicions. "Back then, Brad lost because of support from the higher-ups. The person whose side he was on didn't become the mayor of New York. Otherwise, he would've long become commissioner or even a politician."

He smiled self-deprecatingly. "I've always thought that it was a good thing for my old boss to have such ambitions, but when I was the one whose interests were sacrificed, I realized that I wasn't that unaffected."