Julia was stunned to hear his stern scolding, as he always used to speak to her in a soft tone.
But had he just asked her to shut up?!
She was dumbfounded, wondering how the hell he had changed this much in just seconds!
Meanwhile, Noah's fists were clenched in anger, and if he hadn't been handcuffed, he would have shut her up with a tight slap!
Instead of feeling apologetic that he was in all this mess because of her, this girl was running her mouth to get him in more trouble?!
"How dare you speak to my daughter like that?!"
Before anyone could do anything, Thomas roared out.
"Just be honest, have you been deceiving us all along? What have you done, answer me!"
Noah was guiltily biting the inside of his cheek without saying anything. It wasn't just that he was embarrassed in front of everyone, but he also didn't want to say too much and get himself more tangled up in the web.
But Dave was smiling sarcastically, understanding his thoughts.
Even if Noah tried his best to hide it, he had his entire list of crimes, and he opened his mouth;
"This man, named Noah Stone, has been found guilty of stealing millions of dollars worth of ancient gold and diamond jewelry from the Annual City Fundraising Auction at the G&K Museum, three months ago.
He is on the most wanted list since then, and has been declared as a fugitive criminal. Today, we are here to bring him in for questioning.
If anyone dares to stop us or raise any objection, they will be charged with the obstruction of justice and taken to court."
With his warning, a silence spread across the hall. But only after a moment, everyone started to talk and shout loudly;
"Oh my God! Is this really true!"
"Julia is marrying a wanted criminal! Did she hide this on purpose?"
"Obviously, she just wanted us to know that she is marrying a rich guy and feel jealous. But look! The truth has finally come out now, hasn't it?"
"No no, look at her face, she looks genuinely shocked!"
"Tsk, what is the point of talking about it? Whether she knew about it or not, it doesn't change the fact that she almost married a guy on the most wanted list!"
"Oh, I think I heard about this case on the news! But his face was different on the TV… did he get plastic surgery or something?"
"Dude, I bet I am more shocked than her! I just came here to enjoy a lavish wedding and have some good food, but what the hell is all this!"
"I am literally shaking, just the thought of being in the same room as a wanted criminal is so creepy!"
"Exactly! I feel so upset, I think I'm actually going to be sick right now!"
"Who knows, maybe we will also be considered guilty for associating with a criminal! You can stay and watch the drama if you want, but I am leaving right now!"
Some people slowly began to leave the ballroom without even saying a formal goodbye, while others were frozen in shock about how the situation had turned out.
Before this moment, each one of these people had either been looking at the couple with jealous glances, or trying to butter the groom in an attempt to get some benefits.
But they didn't hesitate before shunning them and leaving, and Julia was infuriated at the humiliation. Her parents were desperately trying to control the crowd and save the situation.
She lunged at Noah, shaking him from front and back.
"You bastard! You tried to take advantage of me, how dare you!"
Noah finally opened his mouth,
"No, baby, please! I never took advantage of you, I'm telling you the truth. This ex-boyfriend of yours is framing me–"
"Oh shut up! Your guilt is written all across your face. Do you think I'm dumb? If you were actually innocent, you would be fighting alongside me, not shaking like a fucking leaf! So cut the crap, and get lost–"
"What are you talking about, sweetie? Don't say such things, I'll just go to the precinct and come back after proving my innocence. And then, we will resume our beautiful wedding –"
"Hey, are you crazy? There is no way I'm marrying you! You have no respect left, how can you think I'll tie myself to you?"
Noah was quite shocked, as he thought that he was doing her a favor by agreeing to marry her, but she was getting bolder and bolder!
He almost couldn't believe that just an hour ago, he was feeling like the luckiest guy in the world, who had won the most beautiful woman as his wife.
But right now, he felt like he had just wasted months chasing after her, not to mention the thousands of dollars he had spent buying her flowers and gifts!
Thinking this, he spat out;
"Right now, you were so eager to marry me that you begged your father to kick out this cop. And now, suddenly you are taking his side?"
"No, you idiot! I am rejecting you because you are a liar and a manipulator! You convinced me that you were a successful self-made businessman. But in reality, you are a lying, cheating scum whose entire business is made on stolen money —"
"Oh, if you are so disgusted by me, then you must be feeling too guilty to spend that stolen money, right?! Then just give me back all the expensive shoes, bags, and clothes I have bought you!
And oh, I almost forgot, I also want the Porsche that I have just given you as a wedding gift, along with the dowry of fifty thousand dollars."
Julia didn't even know what to say, as in her anger, she hadn't properly thought about the implications of these words.
But her mother, who was placating the guests, heard this and had no problem rushing back to the stage.
"Are you listening to yourself? Who asks their bride to return the gifts and dowry?"
Julia also chimed in,
"Yes, I didn't ask for those gifts! You gave me all that because you wanted something from me. And now, you are showing your real, selfish nature!"
Julia was feeling shaken from inside, as she had been keeping all this money as an investment in her future. Noah had a house, and she had asked him to give her a car as well… so she didn't need to touch her dowry money for anything.
But everything was being snatched from her, and she couldn't tolerate it!
However, Noah was already getting irritated by her words, and he replied scathingly,
"Oh, you want to see my selfish nature? Fine! Then you will be refunding me all the expenses of this wedding ceremony on top of your dowry and gifts. And if you say no, I'll make sure my lawyers extract every single drop from your hands!"
If she could, she would have killed him on the spot. But since she couldn't do anything to hurt Noah, she turned all her anger towards Dave.
"Are you happy now!" She screamed, "You have set fire to all my happiness! My wedding, my future, my money– everything is ruined because of you! You will never be happy in your life, do you hear me?"
Dave retorted with a judgemental look,
"Is this how you thank me for saving you from marrying a fugitive? Huh, I'll consider it as my debt to you."
"Thank you! Why should I thank you? I want to curse you and your seven generations right now! You will spend the rest of your pathetic life like the slimy disgusting worm that you are!"
Esther also added,
"People like you can never tolerate anyone else's happiness! Just wait, I will complain about you, after all, you are just a cop! And tomorrow, you won't even be that."
Dave had seen enough of this drama, and shot back,
"Enough now, you can do whatever you feel like, but this time, I won't let any of you escape without consequences."
Saying this, he secured both the handcuffs on Noah's wrist.
"Noah Stone, you are under arrest. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law."
Noah was dragged out of the ballroom, and nobody paid any attention to his words even though he was trying to threaten them with everything he could think of.
"You can pretend to play the role of a hero right now, but you will regret it! You will curse yourself for getting into this matter, because I am the only one you have caught. But I have many connections… and there are people above me who won't ever spare you."
Ignoring his words, Dave put him into lockup and went to file the arrest. As soon as he sat at the table, he heard that familiar voice again.
[Ding! Congratulations on completing your first task. Please choose your reward.]
[Option A: Accept Money.
Option B: Accept Justice points.]
Dave was slightly confused… money? Justice points? What was going on, was someone playing a game with him?
But before he could have organized his thoughts, the same voice explained.
[By choosing A, you will get 10% of the money obtained from the criminal's bounty.
By choosing B, you will get twenty justice points. You can accumulate these points and redeem them for skills like knowledge of medicine, martial arts, mind reading, upgrading your looks, or items from the system shop.]
Dave was still a little skeptical about the whole matter, and he decided to see what all this was about.
Without having any expectations, he just said, "Okay, then I'll go with A?"
There was an instant update;
[Ding! You have chosen Option A: Money. $10,000 have been credited to your account for arresting Noah Stone. Good luck!]
Dave didn't even get a chance to raise a question, when his phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled it out of his pocket, to find a notification he had never expected:
"Dear Customer, $10,000 has been credited to your account no. xxxxxxx5078."
Dave's shock knew no limits at that moment… so did this mean… there was really something like a Criminal Capturing System!?
Dave came back to the present moment when he heard the screech of brakes of the police jeep, only to realize that they had arrived at the precinct.Feeling proud, he got down and escorted Noah out of the jeep, only to be greeted by his colleagues."I guess Dave finally opened his arrest record with a bang, huh?""Getting a high profile criminal and getting his revenge, now that's something else!""Yeah man, I guess all he needed to jump into action was a little push from our side!"By this time, they had entered the precinct, and Dave was enjoying the attention and flattery quite a bit.He handed Noah Stone over to one of the constables and instructed him to put him in lock- up."He is an A- list criminal from the auction theft, who managed to escape from prison. Lock him up for now, and we will be getting the statements from people tomorrow morning.""Yes sir!"The constable saluted him and led Noah inside, who felt even more humiliated, being dragged around like cattle."Leave me, y
Dave was feeling like everything he had done today, had amounted to nothing in the end.Before he could feel any worse about his fate, his phone began to ring. But the moment he saw his sister's name on the screen, he knew he had to compose himself.He never wanted to show his negative emotions or concerns in front of her, as he didn't want her to worry about him. "Hello?""Brother?" Her shaky voice echoed through the phone speakers, as if she was scared of something."Morgan? What's wrong?""Brother… can you please come and pick me up? I am near our school, just please come quickly…""Okay, I'll be there in no time. I'm just coming, don't be scared, okay? Whatever it is, I'll take care of it. "Saying this, he didn't even wait for a reply before he climbed behind the steering wheel of the police jeep and sped off to Claren High School, leaving his colleagues in confusion about what just happened.He didn't have much trouble in spotting them; as soon as he turned the jeep towards the
Tears started streaming down Morgan's face as she said,"I called you because I want to help my friend… but I don't want anything to happen to you!""Oh, Morgan… nothing is going to happen to me, just trust me. I know exactly how to handle such people. You trust your brother, don't you?"Morgan nodded even though her face was covered with tears, and Dave continued;"Then, be a good girl and listen to me carefully. Take your friend and go to my apartment, you already have the keys, right? Good. Neither of you are supposed to go to school until I tell you it is safe to, okay?And don't let your mind wander even for a second, I'm going to be perfectly fine, and so are you two. Understood? If anything happens, just call me."As soon as the girls' disappeared from Dave's sight, his anger returned with ten times the previous intensity. Yesterday, he had seen with his own eyes how the person on the most wanted list had gotten a chance to humiliate him in the police station, while his teamma
As soon as Matt managed to stand up on his own two feet, he ran towards Dave like an angry bull charging at his target. Although Dave managed to dodge his first attack, he gripped his collar and the two of them were locked in a struggle where each one was trying to push the other back. As the struggle intensified, the teacher, fueled by desperation, pulled out a gun from the pocket of his robe that was hanging loosely over his shoulders till now. "Get away from me, whoever the hell you are! You hear me? Stay away or I won't be responsible for the consequences!"He threatened while brandishing the gun menacingly. A cold shiver ran down Dave's spine as the weapon gleamed ominously in the light.Numb with shock, Dave hesitated for a moment… but just then, inspiration struck him as his hand reached into his pocket and gripped a cold blade.In one forceful arc, he hurled a knife towards Matt, who was not expecting this at all. The blade whizzed through the air, finding its mark with pre
As the teacher lay on the floor, taking his last breaths, a new announcement from the system rang in Dave's ears.[Ding! Host, you have completed the first level successfully. Access to the second level has been granted.][Congratulations! You have received one reward. Open it now?]Dave knew he just had to think about his answer in his mind, and the system would automatically follow the command. And that was exactly what happened, as the voice echoed;[Host, you have received power- up: Truth Sense. This ability will allow the host to find out if someone is lying, and help uncover their hidden motives.]The air in the room was weighed down by an eerie stillness, after Dave's tumultuous encounter with the high school teacher. Everything was too calm, with only the sound of the microwave going off in the background. Although a sense of relief washed over him, knowing that this leech won't be able to touch any other girl without her consent ever again, there was another unsettling real
After sending Morgan and Ivy to her room to start packing up, Dave went straight to the kitchen.He immediately got to work, making some hot tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. While he was working in the kitchen, he could hear the distant sounds of laughter coming from their room, over the music they were blasting on the speakers.Little by little, the burden of their trauma was lifting from his shoulders, and once he had plated the food, he called out;"Girls! Come out for dinner!""Yes, just coming!" Their voices echoed together as Morgan and Ivy ran out of her room.Seeing their faces, which were in complete contrast to the tear filled eyes he had seen earlier that day, Dave became content that they were alright now. And now, it was his responsibility to never let these carefree smiles vanish from their faces… thinking this, he left home again, saying that he would be back before long.He had already dealt with the teacher, unintentionally creating a mess at his place; and
As Dave left the teacher's house, a heavy sense of purpose accompanied him on the journey back to his own residence. Within the span of one night, he had experienced so many unsettling revelations that he wasn't even able to process everything yet, let alone decide whether it was a bane or a boon. The moon hung low in the night sky, casting its glow on the quiet streets as Dave navigated his way home. A distant breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers, but it did little to soothe his disturbed mind. Upon entering his apartment, he was greeted by the faint aroma of dinner lingering in the air, and the soft hum of television running in the living room. Minutes after the door clicked shut, Morgan came into the hallway to see who it was. The concern on her face immediately melted into a smile of relief, as she saw that it was none other than her brother."You're back!""Yeah, did you guys finish packing yet?"Dave asked, ruffling his sister's hair softly."Almost… Ivy is still goi
The next few days elapsed, each one carrying the weight of anticipation and a growing sense of urgency for Dave. But amidst the chaos of uncovering the web of blackmailers and fulfilling his duties as a policeman, he found a moment to ensure the well- being of his sister's friend as he made his way to the address that Ivy had given him. Nestled in a quiet middle- class neighborhood, Ivy's house showed the distinctive signs of both age and limited resources. The exterior was marked by peeling paint, and once Dave had identified the house, he pushed open the rusted iron gates. The hinges of this gate protested with a loud creak as it swung open, revealing an unkempt front yard. Weeds had claimed their territory among neglected flower beds, and Dave could assume that the house had perhaps seen better days when Ivy's parents were alive.But perhaps since their death, her grandmother was struggling to keep up with the maintenance required. There was a weathered welcome mat at the door