On the drive back I had a feeling that this was where everything ends, that today was when my whole life would change and I was completely fine with that, I accepted what I'd done. I accepted that I had a fucked up past, and I dealt with it in a fucked up way. I accepted that I was in pain and build a reputation to keep people away, and with every atom of my being I hoped someone would be able to see through it, to who I was, someone who could push past all the walls and the wrongs, and the pain. To the scared boy that I was protecting from the outside world.
Turning the corner I saw the red and blue flashing lights and crept up to my driveway before pulling up to the garage of my townhouse, which luckily Aria had left. There was about a dozen vehicles parked with officers standing outside their cars. Doing my best to be unbothered I opened the garage, and left it like that before going up into the house and getting all of the keys for the vehicles before setting them out on the vehicle that they belonged to.
Logan then walked up to me dressed in a bulletproof vest, and in his eyes I saw that he didn't really want to be here doing this but that was family for you, we never wanted to hurt one another. However I understood why he was here and simply knelt then lied down with my hands on my head.
"Do you have anything that could stick, poke, or harm me on your person?".
"No, I do not, my phone is in the cupholder of my 458 though, and my house key is in the right side coin pocket of my jeans".
"Thank you" Logan says moving me so that he could retrieve both my key and my phone from both me and my car, and pocketing both.
"Adrian Leo Winters you are under arrest for illegal activities in the state of New York, we have a warrant for a search of your house and seizure of your automotive fleet. You have a right to an attorney, if you do not have one, or yours isn't available, one will be provided to you. You have a right to remain silent, anything you say or do can and will be used against or for you in a court of law that depends on your level of cooperation. Do you understand the rights I have read to you today?".
"Yes, I do. I'd like to be off the wet ground Officer" I request and Logan helps lift me before leading me away towards his cruiser, while the rest of the officers finished gearing up, and walked towards the house to collect my cars, and whatever they deemed evidence in the house.
Getting into the cruiser Logan shut off the camera and audio before looking up into the mirror as he started the car.
"Where are all your guns?" he asks.
"The Hamptons in secure gun vaults" I reply as he drove off towards the precinct.
"That's good illegal possession isn't something that the court easily would forgive, doesn't matter if the lawyers or judges are on payroll or not. Legally they are unable to ignore evidence based on employer".
"I know that Logan, now I just accept what I've done because this is no one's fault besides mine which is also why it's mine to put an end to it" I sigh looking out the window as we got to the edge of the street and he looked around.
"A judge will see that you're young, and psychologically your reaction is often common, I don't believe that it will be bad, and if anything they will grant you bail" Logan says glancing up into the rear view mirror.
"We can't all be so sure about things like that Logan, I'm a kid with too much money that didn't have a typical childhood. If anything I grew up too fast, besides it doesn't matter who you are the sentences for gang activity are different then they were twenty years ago".
"Twenty years ago you would have been a part of the actual mafia, and they truly would have night raided your house taking everything. You cooperated, and are acting as an informant. Also having looked closely at your case because this is you being tried for something you admitted to it will be quick. There is also a lot of consistency to argue for house arrest, and to plan ways for you to rehabilitate to find good strategies for how you took your parents deaths".
I look back at him out of the corner of my eye before spotting other squad cars join up behind us.
"You're not a psychologist, that can't be proven without one".
"We have one reviewing both your written and verbal testimony of the past ten months. I told you I'd do what I could to help you this is me doing that" Logan says.
Giving him a small smile I turned to look back out of the window.
"I appreciate it Logan, I really do. You're the only family I have left now".
He laughed lightly in the front seat.
"No I'm not. Look around you more Adrian, the Harrington's have been photographed along side the Winters since your parents met. The Niles, and Ambrose families also were there. You have generational friends that became like brothers, and family to you. I have been around New York long enough to see the titles of all of you at gala's and events. You have a family in place of friends".
"I betrayed them though Logan, I kept all this a secret from them too" I point out.
"If you told them the reason for it, they'd all understand, especially since all of you have known one another since being born. If you all were this close still after ten eleven years that's true friendship, and to see that on the highest point of wealth, you don't know how rare that is".
I do though, people are fake at the top.
"I do, I just wish I could escape the toxicity of the world I live in" I laugh, "hell grief, and pain made me like this, now I'm dealing with all of it on my own".
"The St. Laurent family gave me a small amount of money Adrian, even if both families are successful, I think I only got four million at eighteen".
"That also got you ahead of other people when buying a vehicle and a house, you got the chance to build a life. But you get a normal life. I don't get that for the rest of my life" I say.
Logan slowed to a stop and the silence in the car filled the space like smog, before my cousin spoke.
"You get a different life, but you have something most people dream of. Financial freedom, and you remain humble, you get a normal life for the family you were born into, use it to show the world that wealth isn't about show but how you help the world with it. I've always known you to be philanthropic despite driving a fucking six million dollar Bugatti on the regular".
I laughed at that because he isn't wrong that's what I paid for it including taxes. I lived how I wanted and didn't care what people thought, however the flip to that was that I hid all of my donation history because I didn't want gratification, I wanted to see the result and be happy knowing I'd helped someone that was my reward at the end of the day. It was why I was allowing myself to be put on trial, because I didn't want criminals to be on the streets it just wasn't who I was to allow that kind of thing to persist.
"I don't live for appreciation Logan, I live for helping people, because at the end of the day that's all that matters, is doing something that brings positivity to someone else's life".
"Now you know why I am a police officer".
Once again I let out a laugh, and I watch as we entered Manhattan.
Whatever challenges I was about to face at least they were worth something that mattered, that was all I ever wanted was to see peace for this city. Even if I was the devil everyone thought that I was.
Oh god early update, and it's an okay length, comment, vote, and share, also I now have to focus on all of what leads into Adrian and Olivia's story in TBQ since of course this is the prequel novel. Anyways
Peace✌
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The Billionaire Darkness
Teen Fiction{Book #0.5 of The Winters Series} Adrian Leo Winters was many things, the heir to his parents multi trillion dollar empire, the son of the renowned Alexander Winters, but underneath he was cold, and sad, broken from years of being away from his sist...
