Golden Chains

024

CHAPTER 024
| Only You, pt.3

The room was dimly lit with a single LED light hanging from the ceiling, casting shadows across the steel table and chairs. Serenity found herself sitting across from a middle-aged man with a stern expression on his face.

"Why would you arrest Cyrus? Arrest those crazy motherfuckers! They drugged him!" she exclaimed.

The officer, maintaining his composure, calmly replied, "There's no evidence of them drugging him."

"There is! Check the CCTV footage!" Serenity insisted.

"There were no CCTV cameras, and as far as I know, the guy you're talking about was hired by Miss Annie and her friends. Besides, it's not uncommon for workers like him to use drugs," the officer explained.

"Did you body-check them? There must be something on them! Even bits of traces are accountable!" Serenity argued.

"Yes, we did, and they're all clean. It's you and your friend who are facing charges," the officer declared.

"What?" Serenity exclaimed.

"You assaulted Miss Annie and her friends," the officer stated as a matter of fact,

"Accusations! Where's your evidence?"

"We saw it, and the fingerprint marks on Miss Georgia and Annie confirm their statement. We'll be holding you captive until your hearing in court. Your phone will be confiscated."

Serenity rubbed her temples, feeling the weight of the situation. "A call, let me make a phone call."

"Alright," the officer agreed.

She dialed Aiden's number, desperation evident in each ring. "Aiden, please, please pick up your phone." She muttered under her breath,

"The number you're dialing is switched off."

Her fingers trembled as she scrolled through her contacts, considering who to call. 'What do I do? Should I call father? No, he'd disown me.' Her eyes lit up when she saw a familiar contact. After a few rings, he picked up.

"Serenity," Jasper's voice echoed from the other line, "What's up? Did you miss me so—",

"Wait--are you crying?" Jasper observed, her voice distressed, but she wasn't crying, she was worried,

"No, Jasper, please help me," Serenity pleaded.

"Where are you?" Jasper inquired.

"The police station of the town. Please hurry up," Serenity urged.

"I'll be there in a minute, Serenity. Don't worry, stay calm, I'm almost there" Jasper reassured her.

As the call ended, the officer took her phone. Serenity was escorted to a cell, and as the cop locked the door, he ominously remarked, "I heard the people you messed with are pretty high up. One of them is the son of a powerful politician. You'd better pray to get away with a lighter sentence. They won't let you off the hook easily. Your whole life is ruined."

Serenity's heart raced as the cell door creaked open. The damp air outside hit her, and she hurriedly stepped into the corridor. Ahead, Jasper's silhouette emerged, his back turned. Without a second thought, she rushed towards him, arms wrapping around his neck in an embrace that held a mix of desperation and relief.

Jasper turned around, revealing a face etched with worry. Raindrops clung to his disheveled silver hair, and Serenity felt the dampness of his shirt against her fingers as she clutched it tightly. Breaking free from the hug, she looked up into his eyes, finding a storm of emotions reflected in them.

"Cyrus, they locked him up, falsely accused him! They're abusing their power!" she exclaimed, breathless from both the sprint and the weight of her words.

Jasper's hands, wet from the rain, cupped her face gently. His thumb traced a fresh scar on her cheek, his concern deepened as he glanced down at her palm, scratched and bruised.

"Who hurt you?" he inquired, a protective edge in his voice.

"That doesn't matter now!" she retorted, urgency lacing her words. "Please, Jasper, do something. Help me get Cyrus out."

He flicked her forehead lightly. "Calm down, I've got my lawyer. He'll take care of everything," he assured, at this moment his voice sounded like music to her ears.

Wiping away traces of tears on her face from the hem of his sleeves, he added with a hint of smile, "I'll scold you later for this".

After a short while she was released from the prison, she had no idea what he did for them to release her so easily, they got into the car, no words exchanged between them, Jasper's grip tightened on the steering wheel as he drove through the highway, stealing glances at Serenity through the rearview mirror.

"You should stop now, you're gonna bore holes in him with all your staring," he commented with a teasing tone,

Serenity's gaze remained fixed on Cyrus's unconscious form, her concern etched across her face. "The needle marks are all over his arm," she uttered, her voice heavy with distress.

"They were let free, dammit!" Serenity frustratedly exclaimed.

"Of course they were, they bribed the officers well. In a way, we did the same thing," Jasper explained,

"It's different! I did not commit assault on them, rather, it was self-defense. I'm so mad. They're free after doing all this to him, and we would've been behind the bars if it weren't for you. What a world we live in!" Serenity vented her frustration.

"Indeed, the world is unfair as always. Seems like you just got a hold of it," Jasper replied, a hint of sympathy in his voice. "Should we stop by our penthouse?" He suggested.

"No, let's go home," Serenity responded.

"Home? Your place?" Jasper inquired, a note of confusion in his voice.

"Cyrus's place. Let's go there," Serenity declared.

"To drop him? I think we should bring hi—" Jasper began.

"I'm currently staying with him, at his place," Serenity revealed.

"When did this happen? And why am I knowing of it only now?" Jasper questioned, his surprise evident in his tone.

"Oh, I kinda left my house for a while, out of anger. I couldn't bear to breathe the same air as that wench!" Serenity confessed.

"Luca's mother?" Jasper questioned.

"Who else?" Serenity replied.

"Him and his mother, both of them get on my nerves. I don't understand why I have to keep up with them. They're not my family, they're basically strangers living off my dad!" Serenity vented her frustrations.

"Come on, Luca is not a bad guy. You may not think of him as a family member, though it looks to me that he always cares for you, in his own way, that is",

"Care for me? More like insults me at every damn chance he gets. Besides, he's licking the boots of my father in attempts to steal my position", Serenity retorted.

"That's a whole load of misunderstandings you've got there,"

"It's not my place to clear them. Anyways, we've reached," Jasper gestured. He got out of the car, opening the door for Serenity. Hesitating, he asked, "Is this it? Cyrus's place, are you sure?".

| TO BE CONTINUED

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A/N : Life sucks. Til next time soon!  (next century😈)

Edit : My exams are approaching soon and I've got a lot to cover and very little time, so I'll be going on a hiatus , my exams will be over on 15th March I'll update a day or two after it, please be patient with me.

I'll make up for the missed updates after my exams and will surely complete this book in that period, since we've alot of holidays after that!
Take care, thank you.