Soon, the wail of police sirens tore through the afternoon noise. Several squad cars screeched to a stop at the club entrance.
A flicker of hope ignited in my chest. These were the officers assigned to my grandfather’s case—maybe now, finally, justice would speak.
Vanessa scoffed and casually waved her assistant over. The assistant walked straight to the lead officer and whispered something in his ear.
I couldn't see her face, but I saw the officer's. His expression shifted in an instant—from stern authority to obsequious grinning. He nodded repeatedly, practically groveling.
Then he turned to me, his demeanor suddenly icy and dismissive.
“Emily, stop making trouble. Go home.”
His voice was indifferent, like I were an unreasonable child.
At that moment, I understood everything—he had been bought off. Just a few words from her, and he was theirs.
I quietly took out my phone and began recording. My voice was calm, but my hands trembled. “Officer, I’m here today as a witness. I trust the police will help uncover the truth.”
Daniel spotted my phone and immediately stepped in, shielding Vanessa with a bathrobe, then shot a look at the officer.
The officer nodded and suddenly straightened, putting on a professional front.
“After investigation,” he announced, “your grandfather’s case has been classified as an ordinary accident, with him fully responsible.”
“As for the witness you’re referring to, he made an error. He saw nothing. Continuing to disturb public order will result in your arrest.”
My breath caught. They weren’t even trying to hide the collusion!
They had trampled the law right in the open!
I watched, stunned, as the lines between right and wrong blurred under their lies. I pushed past the guards and ran straight toward the man hiding behind Daniel.
“Please,” I begged. “Tell them what you saw! What really happened that day?”
But the witness stepped back, avoiding my gaze, trembling. His eyes flicked nervously between me and Daniel, lips sealed tight.
His fear was real—and revealing. He’d been silenced. Controlled.
Daniel stood nearby, smirking as if he'd already won.
They’d planned all this. Every step. Even the witness was just another puppet in their show.
As the officer began to turn away, I collapsed to my knees and clung to his leg.
“Please, officer! Help us! My grandfather is in the ICU, accused of fraud he didn’t commit! He’s an old man! How can this be justice?”
My voice cracked, drowned in grief and desperation.
“Careful! She’s attacking the police!” someone shouted.
In the next instant, I was kicked hard and thrown to the ground. My phone was snatched from my hands.
“No! Give it back!” I cried.
Pain shot through my body as I struggled to rise. The security guards lunged, pinning me down. I couldn’t fight them off.
The officer looked down at me, sighed, and said in a falsely kind voice, “Forget it, Emily. Take care of your grandfather. Stirring up trouble won’t help either of you.”
“You’re an adult now. Learn to bow your head.”
Bow my head?
No. The law is not meant to bow to power!
The roar of police engines faded in the distance, taunting me, leaving behind nothing but silence and defeat.
Vanessa bent down, lifted my broken phone between two fingers, and slammed it down on my head. A warm trickle of blood followed.
Still not satisfied, she stepped forward and pressed her high heel into my face. Her beauty was twisted by cruelty.
“You really think the police will go against the Blake family—for you?” she sneered. “That’s hilarious.”
I tried to resist, but the guards held me tightly. I couldn’t move.
Pain radiated through me, and my vision blurred. Still, I spat through clenched teeth, “The law will punish you. One day.”
“The law?”
She laughed. A cold, gleeful laugh that echoed off the club walls.
“Hasn’t Atty. Harvey told you? In City A, the law is ours.”
“You’ve gotten in my way too many times.”
She raised her heel, pressed it into my face with venom. “I gave you a chance. You couldn’t take it. Don’t blame me.”
With that, she turned and walked away. Daniel followed without a word.
I lay motionless for a long time.
Shame, pain, and despair crashed over me like a tidal wave. I saw no light, no hope.
But eventually, when my blood dried and my tears stopped, I rose. Slowly.
I couldn’t surrender.
My grandfather always told me—never give up.
I picked up the shattered pieces of my phone and held them close.
I would stay calm. I would find real evidence. I would make them pay.
I had to.
But as I turned to leave, a shadow fell across my path.
A group of men suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Before I could react, rough hands grabbed me.
They dragged me off the street and into a dark, narrow alley.
