The Truth In His Lies

Chapter 3

"We have to call the police!" I exclaimed, standing up from the ground. Though still shaken, the reality of the situation was sinking in.

Pietro led me to the maze garden and called Vivienne over. He was there because someone missed their shift, and Vivienne had offered it to him. When Pietro saw me leaving the banquet hall, he decided to follow me. And while I was lost in thought, he recounted everything to Vivienne, as I was too shocked to speak.

"W-Wait!" Vivienne gripped my wrist tightly, pulling me back. "If you're going to call the police, you'll need a witness other than yourself to make your story plausible, right? That means you'll have to involve Pietro in this."

I nodded. "I'm sure we can gather –"

"No way! Are you out of your mind, Lucia?" She cut me off. "We are going against an Alejo! They can threaten Pietro and even cut off his scholarship!"

"I can provide him protection!" I insisted, looking at Pietro who seemed lost in his thoughts.

"No, no..." Vivienne shook her head. "Pwede ka pang paniwalaan ng lahat kahit papaano. But people like us who are at the bottom of society? There's no way people would take our side."

I frowned. "That's why we have a justice system, Vivienne!"

"And you think it will favor us?" Her voice was laced with disdain. "Justice might take your side because you're on top of the food chain along with the Alejos."

"What do you mean, Vivienne?"

"Oh my gosh! I didn't know you were this out of touch," she laughed, but there was no humor in it. "The justice system in this country is blind, blind to people like us! And the scale was never balanced in the first place because people like you have their ways to put gold on one side of it!" She exclaimed, her voice heavy with bitterness. At mukhang malalim ang pinaghuhugutan niya. Her words made me reflect.

"The Alejos are powerful. They can manipulate the law in their favor," Pietro added, finally snapping out of his thoughts. "I want to help you... but we are not just risking our future here, but our very lives, Lucia."

"And do you think Samuel's family will reprimand him and agree to put him in jail?" Vivienne asked.

"O-Of course, that's what a moral person would do!"

She scoffed. "I'd like to see you try and ask your family what they would do if you killed somebody."

"So what are we going to do? Let them get away with this? That poor innocent woman..." I trailed off. How do I know if that woman was really innocent? Who is that woman? What is Samuel's motive?

It dawned on me that I lacked context for what had happened. With Pietro agreeing with Vivienne, will anyone believe me alone?

"They will clean up any form of evidence. Just being an eyewitness wouldn't do much. The police will probably drop the case due to lack of evidence, and they could consider filing a defamation lawsuit against you," Pietro said.

I looked back at Vivienne, her eyes were filled with worry. "You don't understand, Lucia. The power and influence the Alejos have is beyond your imagination. They can make things disappear, and that includes people who get in their way."

The gravity of her words hit me. I was standing on a precipice, teetering between justice and danger. "So, what are we supposed to do? We are going to just let it slide?"

Vivienne sighed deeply. "We need more than just your word. We need concrete evidence, something that can't be ignored or brushed under the rug. Until then, we have to be cautious."