Beyond the Horizon of Love (Ryker Series #1)

BTHOL [31]

"What's happening here?" kunot-noong tanong ko. 

Maingay sa living room nang makababa ako. There were police in our house. 

"Manang, what's going on?" ulit ko nang walang sumagot sa akin. 

I looked outside and saw that Mom was handcuffed. She was shouting as she tries to get away from the police.

"Anak." Nag-aalangang sabi ni Manang. "Inaresto nila ang Mommy mo. Hindi ko maintindihan ang dahilan pero may ipinakita silang warrant of arrest. Ang Daddy mo naman ay hindi matawagan."

I quickly went up to get my car keys before hurrying to follow them. I tried to dial Dad's number pero katulad ng sabi ni Manang, hindi nga iyon matawagan. Maybe he spent his night at the company again.

"Janniza Ventura?" tanong nang isang police officer nang magpakilala akong anak ni Mommy.

"That's me," I replied.

The officers exchanged glances before the one with a grizzled beard spoke up. 

"Maupo ka."

I carefully sat down before waiting for what he had to say to me. I let him talk to the other police officers and read some papers before walking towards his table where I was seated. He cleared his throat before sitting in front of me.

"Why did my mother got arrested?" 

"Miss Ventura, your mother has been arrested on charges of embezzlement, fraud, and other financial crimes. The evidence against her is substantial."

My eyes widened in shock, my hands were trembling. 

The other officer, a younger woman spoke gently. "We know this is difficult and surprising for you, Ma'am. But we need your cooperation to gather more information. Can you tell us if your mother has been acting unusual lately or if there have been any changes in her behavior?"

"I... I don't know." I looked away. 

"We'll need you to provide any information you think might be relevant, Ma'am. It could help us understand the full picture. Do you know if your mother had any financial troubles or connections that might lead her to commit these crimes?"

"She's been busy trying to save our company, but I didn't think it was anything like this. She never mentioned anything about illegal activities."

Dumating din kalaunan si Daddy. There was a look of shock and surprise on his face while the police were talking to him. I remained silent on the side. I don't want to do anything else but ask Mommy about this. 

I know her and I know that she's capable of doing all of these. This might be true... or not. But I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. 

"I want you to meet the attorney I hired for your Mom's case. I'll stay here, I'll try to talk to your Mom," pagod na sabi ni Daddy.

He was still in his formal attire. Mukhang may pinuntahan siyang meeting at dito na dumeretso kaya hindi na siya nakapagbihis pa ng damit. 

Wala sa sarili akong sumunod sa sinabi niya. I went to the address he gave me where I could meet the attorney he was referring to.

"Avril," someone called my name. Nilingon ko kung sino iyon.

"Kuya Bryle," mahinang sabi ko. It was Sean's cousin.

"Sorry. Am I late? Heavy traffic," he apologized before sitting down. "I just received a call from your Dad. I wasn't expecting you to be here and not your dad."

"I---" Nag-iwas kaagad ako ng tingin. "I'm sorry. I'll just call my Dad so you can---"

"Don't worry, Sean doesn't know anything about this," he cut me off. "I get what you're thinking. I am here because of your Dad's call, not because of my cousin's favor. We can keep this professional."