After Rejection, she crawled to my feet for forgiveness

Arriving at Crestview Hills

Bethany refused to believe this, maybe he just said that because be didn't want to come out of prison. Norman hadn't been making any effort to free himself, so maybe he just agreed to this.

She couldn't take Norman's words, so she decided to investigate for herself.

Bethany rushed down to her office, and was surprised at the number of people waiting for her.

Amongst them was, Lucas, Harris and other high officials, these were all the people that had worked in office with Norman. He hasn't been in office for some days, and then they found out he was arrested for embezzlement, surprised they all rushed down to the station to confirm themselves.

“Good thing you're here, Chief Bethany.” Lucas said with a grin.

Bethany's mood changed the moment she saw Lucas, she has had an unimaginable hatred for him after his accusations of Norman.

She glared at him. "What proof do you have that Norman is guilty of any crime?"

Others in the room quickly chimed in, their voices rising.

"Yes, Mayor, let's see this so-called evidence."

"Mr. Norman has always served this city loyally. Accusing him like this is absurd!"

The room erupted in argument.

The room buzzed with disbelief and outrage, but Lucas didn’t lose his smirk. Calmly, he set a stack of documents on Bethany’s desk. "Since you're all so curious," he said, his voice dripping with satisfaction, "here’s the evidence. These are property ownership documents for several homes in Crestview Hills—all under Norman’s name. And these," he added, flipping through more pages, "are bank transfer receipts for those properties."

Bethany picked up the documents, her eyes scanning them, disbelief mingling with anger. Norman’s name was indeed on each title, each receipt showing massive sums transferred for the properties.

The room fell silent, stunned.

"This can’t be true,” Harris murmured, shaking his head.

"But… Mr. Norman has always been a good man!" someone else whispered.

Bethany’s face hardened. "No. I don’t believe it. I know what kind of person you are, Mayor Lucas—you’d do anything to make Norman look bad. I know you want to replace him with Mr. Havord as acting mayor for your own gain," she said sharply, her tone leaving no room for doubt.

Lucas’s expression soured. He took a step closer. "You’re accusing me of fabricating evidence?"

"Wouldn’t put it past you. These documents could be faked for all we know," Bethany shot back, meeting his gaze head-on. "We need something stronger than this pile of paper."

Lucas’s grin returned, colder than ever. "Fine, Chief. How about we all take a trip to Crestview Hills and see for ourselves? We’ll ask the women living in these houses about their landlord."

Bethany stared at him down, refusing to back down. "Lead the way, Mayor. Let’s get to the truth."

Lucas, Bethany, Harris and the rest of the officials arrived at Crestview Hills, Lucas had also invited Henry, this would be the perfect opportunity to introduce him as the new acting Mayor, after Norman had been exposed.

The villas were nothing short of breathtaking. Each stood on sprawling plots of land, surrounded by high stone walls and electronic gates for privacy.

Luxury cars, from sleek sports models to classic vintage collections, were parked in the driveways, hinting at the affluence of the residents. A golf course lay in the distance, visible from the winding road, while private pools sparkled in the sunlight behind towering hedges.

The group was shocked, how could Norman afford several buildings in this area?

“Norman had to be a criminal to be able to afford a single apartment in this residence!” Lucas said.

The officials stated at each other, but they all doubted, they needed more proof.

They arrived at one of the estate, the security opened the gate. And to everyone's surprise a lot of reporters were already at standby waiting to go on a live broadcast. Lucas had called them, so Norman's crimes would be exposed to the whole world to see. This would completely destroy his image.

“What's all this, Mayor?” Bethany asked, seeing all the reporters arranging their gadgets to go live.

“Oh, everyone in Valkoria deserves to know the kind of man, Norman truly is.” He said with a grin. “And by the way. While we wait for the reporters to get ready, I'll like to introduce you to Mr. Havord — Henry Havord. The second son of the prestigious Havord family, from the Capital city, and he's going to replace Norman.”

Gasped filled the air. The officials were stunned.

Bethany clenched her jaw, “Mayor, it hasn't even been a week after Norman's arrest, and you're already planning to replace him?”

“Why not?” Lucas waved his hands sarcastically. “Henry is ten times better that Norman, he's from the Havord family, do you know the connections and development that would bring to Valkoria?”

Bethany shook her head in disgust. How dare he compare this punk to Norman? It seems they have no idea the kind of connections Norman had. After seeing the president of Eldrida giving Norman special treatment, she knew his influence was unmatched.

Henry's face was covered with a proud smile, as he stepped forward. “Don't worry officer, I would do a good job in making Valkoria greater.” after all he was the one who suggested to bring many reporters, so he'll become popular in the city.

However Bethany and Harris scoffed at him. Making Henry flushed with rage.

The reporters were ready. And the live broadcast started, seeing this Henry took advantage, as he spoke. “As you all know, Norman had been arrested for embezzlement and fraudulent activities. And not only that, he had more than a hundred mistress living in this estate.”

The officials 's eyes widened.

“This hadn't been confirmed, stop spreading rumors!” Bethany shunned.

But Henry ignored her. “And as your future acting Mayor. I will expose him today.”