August Flynn.
My body froze; I found myself covering my face with the palms of my hands. A wave of guilt hit me, like I had committed the crime myself that had resulted in the loud scream from Avery.
"What happened?" A lady wearing a blue jacket rushed to her and asked with a concerned voice about why she had screamed.
I saw Avery lift her finger, eyes red with rage. "I... I... can't seem to find my million-dollar engagement ring," she stuttered while raking each person's presence, almost scanning every individual with a look.
Jordan had stared, his expression unreadable. I saw him stretch out his hand and wrap it around Avery. "Everything would be okay, I promise." He said gently, loud enough for me to hear despite the distance.
Jordan lets go of her. A smile crept on his face, the kind of smile that has always made me doubt if my beauty was a match for his striking features. I saw him whisper something to his guard, who was standing beside the car. The guard nodded his head and turned to leave; everyone stared. My father had a nervous smile, his hands folded in his pockets, while Avery stood beside Caspian, who looked unperturbed as he checked something on his phone, as if he had never said a word to Avery. I felt rage surge within me, my fist tightly clenched, before I took steady strides towards Caspian.
"Oh August, where the fuck were you when I was calling your name?" my father thundered, forgetting we were in the presence of high-caliber people.
He raised his brows slightly, gritted his teeth, and wrapped his hands in a fist, clearly showing that he'll handle my situation later, but for now, let's tackle the current situation.
I turned towards Caspian, wondering why he hadn't been able to secure the situation but had instead made things worse. I raised my hand, about to land a slap across his face. Suddenly the tip of my heel broke due to pressure; I almost fell to the ground. His strong hands instinctively wrapped around my waist, his hazel green eyes bored into mine, and his lips were inches away from my skin. I could feel my heart pounding so fast. "Oh, now you're careless! I thought the feisty lady was strong enough to show her stepbrother how she felt. " I pouted my lips and lunged a knee to his groin, which resulted in a painful groan.
He lets go of me, and I find myself falling to the ground. It smears my makeup further, my hair is more disheveled, and a striking pain in my head makes me almost black out until the guard of Jordan stands above me. More men arrive and help me to my feet.
"You will be taken to the station, Miss Flynn."
"Station, I didn't do anything wrong?"
"You might as well explain how the million-dollar engagement ring is found in your pocket and your disastrous face causes public humiliation and embarrassment to the Flynn family."
"A Ring!" I exclaimed, my hand gently rummaging through my clothes, trying to check how a ring got into my clothes; suddenly the expensive jewelry fell from my pocket, and my mouth hung open in disbelief.
I shook my head, realizing that there was definitely something wrong somewhere. "I...I think you guys must be mistaken; there's some mix-up." I tried to defend myself; I could feel tears burning my cheeks.
I resisted anyone laying their hands on me; my heart palpitated, and I fought the urge not to let down hot tears that threatened to stream down my cheeks. I took a deep breath and muttered with a cracked voice, "I didn't steal the ring; since I was born, I have never been found stealing, and I'm not going to start now."
I could hear the cold whispers of people who were standing there; no one bravely uttered a word; rather, little gossip was spread among their lips. I averted my gaze towards Avery; instead of the panic she once had, now there was a mischievous smile that made her look suspicious.
I knew I couldn't win against the clear evidence pointing right at me. I stretched out my hand; handcuffs were snapped around my wrist as I was dragged out of sight in front of the disdainful face of Jordan. The crowd all watched; my father shook his head, almost believing I had taken the ring. I lowered my head in disappointment while hoping he'd be coming to bail me out. I averted my gaze to Jordan; the look he had on his face broke me further into the tiniest pieces, making me feel the need to let it all out and scream how much I truly care about him, but I know it'll yield little or no results.
I was about to be shoved into the car, and I saw Caspian standing beside Avery; a smirk was clearly written all over his face, and his eyes made him look suspicious.
******
"Did you know the grievous crime you had committed?" The cop asked while rummaging through some copies.
I thought, wondering how that ring got into my pocket, many thoughts running through my mind, but I couldn't seem to fathom how. The ache in my head made me recall the painful fall I had, with his strong hands around my waist. I believe that was when that moron had sabotaged me.
"Uhm...I know who did this." I said almost excitedly as the memory flooded in.
"So now you are not denying the fact you are a thief; you are looking for someone to put the blame on?"
"No, please let me out, and I'll prove to you that I'm not the one, please."
The cop shook his head after letting out a deep sigh; he waved his hand to another cop who was present, and I was taken behind bars.
Everything happened so fast; I stood still, fighting the growing lump in my throat, wondering why the day was increasingly getting worse as every second ticked. I found myself sitting on the dirty, rusted bed; the smell that lingered made me fight the urge not to gag.
Seconds turned to minutes and later hours. I was waiting for my father, my stepmom, or Jordan to show up, but no one did.
I was hoping that at least one of my family members would have called. I found myself waiting while roaming around the cell, but no one showed up. I was immediately gripped by fear when the realization dawned on me that I'm really alone in this world.
After what seems like an eternity, my father showed up with my Jordan. I stood up weakly and walked towards the well-installed metal bars. I wrapped my hand against it, waiting for them to apologize for taking so long, but the look of disappointment on his face said more than words could.
"Dad..." My voice was gentle and pathetic.
"Don't call me Dad; I should have conducted a DNA test to be sure that you are even my daughter." Those words cut like a sharp dagger right through my heart.
"So..." I paused, swallowing a lump, "I'm not worthy to be bailed out?"
"August is not like that; it is just that..."
"Just that you became Dad's favorite son to the point where I don’t even matter anymore?" Fuck, I feel so disgusted while I can't ignore his eyes, despite the coldness in them. I nodded in understanding. "It is clear you don't give a shit about me, despite the fact you know well enough that without me by your side you wouldn't have won that match against the Hotchdog Team."
"Enough, August. What did you do, give him advice? Or I presumed to follow him around like a puppy."
"It's like you forgot the promise you made to Mum on her dying bed," I muttered slowly, tears freely slipping down my cheeks.
"Yes, and it's because of you she's not alive." His voice was cold and his eyes were full of disdain.
