Lucas gritted his teeth, he's been trying all day to convince the officials that Norman's accusations were true. but he's yet to provide solid evidence making his claim hard for anyone to believe. Another official added, “Norman’s absence is already causing unrest. If we don’t handle this properly, the public outcry could escalate into something worse.” Lucas leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing as he listened. His jaw tightened, his lips forming a thin line. “Are you all implying that this city can’t function without one man?” he snapped, his voice cold and sharp. “We’re not implying anything,” the first official replied, clearly undeterred. “We’re stating facts. Norman’s influence runs deep. He’s respected by the people and feared by the criminals. Without him, the city loses its backbone.” Another chimed in, their tone bordering on a warning. “The longer you keep him detained, the more likely we are to face protests, or worse. You should release him immediately.” The room
“Mr. Norman, you're under arrest!” the officer barked, stepping forward, with handcuffs. Norman glanced up from his desk, unfazed, his eyes cool and steady. “Under arrest? For what?” “For accepting a bribe!” The officer’s gaze hardened, but Norman didn’t flinch, though a flicker of confusion passed through his mind. “There’s been a mistake, Officer,” Norman said, keeping his voice steady. “I’ve never accepted a bribe. Who made this accusation?” “I did, Norman.” Before the officer could respond, the door swung open, and Lana, Norman’s fiancée, stepped inside, her expression twisted with disdain. “I reported you to the police. Now to save yourself from more embarrassment. Go with the police and pay for your crimes.”She said coldly.Norman’s calm wavered slightly as he turned to face her, his brows knitting in surprise. “Lana?” he asked, disbelief creeping into his voice,“What are you saying?““Don’t play innocent,” she snapped. “You took a bribe, and I did what was necessa
As the two officers escorted Norman through the city streets toward the police station, curious onlookers gathered, whispering and snapping pictures. The acting Mayor, in handcuffs—how could this be?Amid the crowd's murmurs, Norman remained unfazed. Instead, it was the officers escorting him who lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact with the townspeople, as though they were the ones guilty of a crime.As they arrived at the station and were about to escort Norman inside, a convoy suddenly pulled up, halting directly in front of them. The officers caught sight of the license plate on the lead vehicle and immediately froze, their faces shifting into expressions of involuntary panic. It was Chief Bethany's car.The high-ceilinged lobby of the police station fell silent as Chief Bethany entered. The officers straightened instinctively, her reputation of iron discipline preceding her. With every step, she commanded respect—sharp suit, polished boots, and an unbreakable gaze.Betha
When Norman was in the police station, a black Mercedes-Benz pulled up smoothly in front of The Grand Heavens, Valkoria’s most prestigious hotel. Known for its unmatched luxury, it was a place where only the wealthiest elites could even think about reserving a room. Tonight, however, Lana, her father Lucas, and her new boyfriend, Henry, were here to celebrate their recent success. As they stepped out, Lana tightened her grip on Henry’s arm, proudly presenting him to her father. Henry, dressed impeccably in a custom-fitted suit, looked every bit the part of a wealthy young man from Capital City. As they stepped into the lobby of The Grand Heavens, Mr. Divine, the hotel manager, approached them quickly, a wide smile breaking his typically stoic face. “Mayor Lucas, Miss Lana,” he greeted warmly. “It’s a pleasure to welcome you here. We’ve made arrangements for you in our finest suite.” Lana raised a brow, surprised. Divine had barely acknowledged her the last time she was here,
Seeing that their little lies would be exposed, Lucas intervened. “We have proof, but it's not here. You can see we're in Grand heavens, is this the right time to talk about this?”Harris shook his head. Arresting Norman was a grave mistake. And he hoped this wouldn't bring the downfall of Valkoria. “Removing Norman as the acting Mayor is a big mistake, Mayor Lucas.”Henry, seeing the opportunity, chimed in. “I will be the new Mayor.”“And who are you?” Harris turned to him and scoffed, but his grave expression remained.“I am the second son of the Havord family from the Capital City. I'm sure you will know about my family, we're among the elites of—”Harris rolled his eyes and cut him short. “I clearly don't know who nor your family is, and I don't care either. And for that position you're clearly not fit for it!” He said coldly.“How dare you!” Henry gritted his teeth.Lucas was also displeased with Harris’s behavior towards Henry. “Henry is right, he'll be the next acting Mayor.”
“He committed bribery and embezzlement. So I got him arrested.” Lana responded proudly. Donald was getting annoyed by her gestures. “How's that possible, Mr. Norman would never do—” “Well maybe he's just been pretending, hiding in the shadows. A hypocrite and a liar!” Lana interrupted Donald from completing his speech. Donald had been tolerating her disrespect because she was Norman's fiancee, but with what he was hearing he had no reason to remain nice anymore. “Mr. Norman is a good man, he'll never do such a thing!” Grand heavens was worth a billion dollars, and yet Norman bluntly refused 90% of the shares. How can such a man accept a bribe? Lana boiled in rage, she hated the way Donald was defending Norman. “You think you know him better than I do?” She gestured, her fingers pointing at Donald's chest. “He's my ex, and if I say he's a criminal then he is. He's a corrupt pest!” She exclaimed. “You're getting too arrogant. And I'm afraid, your meals are no longer complime
Meanwhile, at a mountainous landscape. A helicopter landed gracefully, Norman, Bethany and two other escorts stepped out. The Mountains were a little farther, crossing the territory of both nations. So technically they were still in Valkoria, about 20 ft away from Eldrida. Norman sighed deeply, staring at the mountains. About to climb up before a noise caught his attention. He heard angry voices echoing down the dirt path. He turned to see a group of seven men surrounding an elderly man. The old man was clutching an intricately carved wooden chest, its polished surface gleaming even in the dim light. “Come on, old man,” one of them sneered, his tone dripping with menace. “Hand it over. Don’t make this difficult.”“These are priceless heirlooms!” the old man protested, his voice trembling. “They belong to my family and this village. Generations of history are inside this chest! You can’t just take it!”The apparent leader of the group chuckled darkly, stepping closer. “History? W
The men were trembling. They were in fact a spy, sent to check if the defenses of Valkoria were as strong as before. If their defenses over this area had weakened, their next plan would be a massive invasion to take over the small land and extend their territory. But they dared not leak their plans to the Executioner, he's the last person that needed to know about this. Trembling, the leader spoke. “Please, Executioner. We have no intentions to kill anyone, I only made that statement to intimidate. Please have mercy.” The leader trembled, his lips twitching as he struggled to come up with an excuse. “N-no one sent us, Executioner. We’re just thieves. We meant no harm.” Norman’s gaze pierced him, unflinching. “Thieves? You dare lie to my face?” The leader lowered his head further, sweat dripping down his face. “P-please, Executioner. We didn’t mean to hurt anyone. We’ll leave and never return. Spare us!” Norman’s expression darkened. He already knew the truth—these men w
Lucas gritted his teeth, he's been trying all day to convince the officials that Norman's accusations were true. but he's yet to provide solid evidence making his claim hard for anyone to believe. Another official added, “Norman’s absence is already causing unrest. If we don’t handle this properly, the public outcry could escalate into something worse.” Lucas leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing as he listened. His jaw tightened, his lips forming a thin line. “Are you all implying that this city can’t function without one man?” he snapped, his voice cold and sharp. “We’re not implying anything,” the first official replied, clearly undeterred. “We’re stating facts. Norman’s influence runs deep. He’s respected by the people and feared by the criminals. Without him, the city loses its backbone.” Another chimed in, their tone bordering on a warning. “The longer you keep him detained, the more likely we are to face protests, or worse. You should release him immediately.” The room
Lucas frowned, he knew exactly why they were here. He was about to speak before Henry spoke abruptly. “If this is about Norman's case, he's still guilty, and you don't have to worry we're getting the evidence.” He said with disdain. Harris gritted his teeth as he glared at Henry. “I wasn't talking to you Mr. Havord, and you aren't the acting Mayor yet, don't act like one.” The words were like arrows, it shattered Henry's pride, he was about to speak but Lucas gestured for him to halt. “Let's go to the general office to discuss this.” He said to the other officials and they all head to a much larger office. **** One official started, “Norman’s absence is already causing unrest. If we don’t handle this properly, the public outcry could escalate into something worse.” Lucas leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing as he listened. His jaw tightened, his lips forming a thin line. “Are you all implying that this city can’t function without one man?” he snapped, his voice cold and sha
At Lucas's office Lucas leaned back in his leather chair, his hands massaging the temple of his head. After going through the annual cost Norman spends to provide for the families of fallen heroes, he still had doubts if these were legit. The expenses were so high, Henry and Lana was also present in the office, both as shocked as Lucas. “This… This is insane,” Henry finally spat, gesturing at the screen. “We’re expected to pay how much to these families every year?” Lucas leaned forward, clasping his hands. “Seventy-point-eight million. That’s what Norman had allocated annually. Seventy. Point. Eight. Million. For widows and orphans.” His voice dripped with contempt as he emphasized each word. It was unbelievable. “Ridiculous,” Lana chimed in, leaning forward with a cold smile. “Why should their sob stories drain our city’s coffers? Their husbands and fathers chose the line of duty. They knew the risks.” Henry turned, his anger palpable. “They act like the city owes them for etern
Henry's crew and the reporters were still packing up their things to leave, before Lucas leaned in, his voice low and firm. "You’ve got your orders. Clear them out. Now!"Henry nodded, jaw tightening as he turned to his crew. "Wrap it up. Everyone out, quickly."The crew fastened up, exchanging uneasy glances. Cameras were hastily folded away, and the reporters shuffled backward.“Norman doesn’t deserve this!” someone shouted from the crowd.“What evidence do they even have?” another voice chimed in, trembling with anger.“This is abuse of power, the Mayor is irresponsible!”Bethany stood rooted, her fists clenched at her sides. She stepped forward as the reporters disappeared into the distance. “Mr. Havord, this has gone too far,” she said, her voice steady but sharp. “Norman hasn’t done anything wrong. You know that as well as I do.”Henry spun on his heel, his face clouded with irritation. “Chief Bethany, don’t start. If he’s innocent, where’s the proof? Why hasn’t anyone come for
Their cries grew louder, and then one of the women, overcome with despair, stepped onto the front steps and raised her voice in a dramatic plea. “If this is what we are worth to you, then I don’t deserve to live!” She moved to the edge of the steps, her intent clear.Gasps filled the air as the crowd froze. Lucas went pale, panic flashing across his face. He darted toward her, his voice trembling. “Stop! Don’t do this! There’s no need for such measures!” The officials intervened quickly, pulling the woman back and calming her. Lucas, visibly shaken, turned to Henry, his voice low but urgent. “Fix this. Now. If this escalates further, we’re finished.” He knew if anything bad happened here, he's reputation as the Mayor would be destroyed, he might even be locked up.Henry, cornered and realizing there was no way out, bowed his head slightly. When he spoke again, his voice was softer, more genuine. “I’m sorry. Truly sorry. For everything we’ve done today. It was wrong.”The widows quiet
Lucas shifted uneasily, sweat forming on his forehead as he fumbled for words. Henry, however, maintained his composure, his expression hardening as if he was doubling down.Bethany, seething with anger, pointed an accusatory finger at both of them. "You two should be ashamed. Not only do you fail to appreciate Norman's kindness, but you also have the audacity to defame him publicly? Are you so blinded by your agenda that you can't see the truth?"Henry’s jaw tightened, refusing to back down. "Kindness? If he really wanted to help these women, why buy them such expensive houses? Why not something simpler? This just screams of ulterior motives."Bethany shot him a fiery glare. "So, let me get this straight. Women whose husbands gave their lives defending this nation don't deserve these homes? You think you deserve them more than they do? Is that it?"Henry faltered for a moment but quickly recovered. "That's not what I’m saying," he snapped. "I’m saying this entire setup is suspicious.
The estate had several houses in it. So Lucas and Henry, led them to one of the houses. Lucas rang the doorbell.This had already sparked interest in the viewers, wight thousands of viewers and comments.Seeing that they were taking too long to respond, Henry rang the bell again and shouted. “Open up. We're government officials, we came for an investigation!”At this moment the tension was high, everyone curious to see the so called ‘mistress’ of Norman. Bethany bit her lips, hoping for a negative result.Meanwhile Henry kept on ranting. “Just you wait, you'll see what I'm talking about. Norman is a criminal, and today his little lies will be exposed.”Lucas also brimmed with excitement.People watching the broadcast were flooding in with comments, everyone was curious to know the truth.“What's she gonna look like?”“She's the mistress of the acting Mayor, I'm sure she's going to be stunning!”“LMFAO, can't believe Mr. Norman is a criminal.”Meanwhile Bethany and Harris stared at eac
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
Even the Mayor couldn't afford to buy this type of mansion. How on earth would Norman, a mere acting Mayor own such a property? It only makes sense that Norman was in fact embezzling funds. “What? These are all expensive mansions, how can Norman own all these properties? And in Crestview hills?” Shockwaves rippled through Lana's mind. Crestview Hills, a neighborhood where the city's elite reside. The thought of him living among mansions and manicured lawns was jarring. "Crestview Hills? You can't be serious. How did you...?" she stuttered, her eyes wide with disbelief. “I'm as shocked as you, Lana. But that's the truth. And not only that, I found out some ladies are living inside the mansion too.” Lucas said further. Lana frown deepened, “Some ladies?!” Her shock was replaced with anger, and a hint of jealousy. “Has that trash been cheating on me?” Her urge to completely expose him increased. “So what do we do now, Mr. Lucas?” Henry asked. “This is enough evidence we need to b