CHAPTER 3 ARRESTED

At the police station, a crowd of onlookers and policemen had gathered outside the chief's office. After all, Michael Bale had just dragged someone inside, and the air was thick with whispers and murmurs about what was going on. 

Although, through the closed door, only shouts and abuses could be heard.

Inside the office, Michael was pacing furiously, his face red with rage. 

“This fucking maggot had the audacity to hit me. Me! Mr. Bowen, I'm sure you will teach him a good lesson, because if it was up to me, I would have killed him then and there, and buried his worthless corpse where nobody would ever find him! But I have faith in you—"

The police chief, Mr. Bowen, raised his hands in a calming gesture. 

“Mr. Bale, please be rest assured, everything will happen the way you want. If you want, he will never even see the open sky again."

Michael smirked, a cruel glint in his eyes. "Maybe that's what will serve him right. He deserves to rot in jail!" 

He turned towards Matthew, who was slumped in a chair, his face bruised and swollen. "Now you'll know why not to offend someone of my status, you ignorant fool! You have sealed your destiny yourself when you decided to raise your hand on me."

Chief Bowen nodded to his two officers standing by the door. 

"Detain this rascal, book him for attacking a citizen."

The officers stepped forward, grabbing Matthew roughly and dragging him out of the office. The murmurs grew louder as the onlookers saw Matthew being hauled away. He was taken to a cell where several other detainees were already present, and the cell door clanged shut behind him.

As soon as the officers left, the atmosphere in the cell turned menacing. One of the detainees, a tall man with a scar running down his cheek, approached Matthew. 

"So, what are you here for, new guy?"

“Looks like he's pissed off someone really powerful!" 

"Don't you have a tongue in that pretty mouth, doll?”

Matthew barely had time to respond before a fist slammed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He doubled over, gasping for breath, but the assault didn't stop. 

The other prisoners joined in, delivering kicks and punches with a sadistic pleasure.

The guards outside the cell turned a blind eye to the beating. It was clear that Michael's influence extended beyond just the police chief, and sufficient bribes from the Bale family had ensured that both the guards and the prisoners would thrash Matthew without mercy.

Matthew curled into a ball, trying to protect his vital organs, but the blows kept coming. His vision blurred as the assault continued, every part of his body screaming in agony for some moments of relief.

After what felt like an eternity, the beating finally stopped. Matthew lay on the cold, hard floor, his body throbbing with pain as the other prisoners backed away, satisfied with their job

In the dim light of the cell, Matthew stared up at the ceiling, struggling to breathe. He was alone, with no one to turn to, and completely at the mercy of a system that had already judged him unworthy in every respect, in front of a richer man. 

Just as Matthew was about to drift off to sleep, finally about to get some relief from the pain tearing his body apart, two policemen came to the cell. 

"Come on! Get up, your lowlife! You're supposed to be interrogated now."

They mocked him as they pulled him to his feet. 

“I guess you had too much fun being the action hero. Now it's time to pay the price for your fantasies."

Matthew winced with every step, but he forced himself to move, while the officers dragged him to the interrogation room. 

He was barely able to stay on his feet when they finally sat him down, and the detectives wasted no time launching into their questioning. 

"Why did you raise your hand on a customer unprovoked?" one of them barked. 

"Are you taking drugs? Were you high or drunk at that point? Answer me!!"

Matthew tried to explain, but the words came out slurred and weak. 

"I... wasn't... he..."

The interrogation was interrupted when a police officer ran into the room, breathless. 

"Sir! Mr. Donovan is here!"

Victor Donovan was the most famous lawyer in the country, the chief knew this very well.

“Sir, he has just arrived at the station and the whole place is in chaos! If we get targeted by this lawyer, it'll cause a lot of trouble for us all.”

He quickly composed himself, straightening his uniform before stepping out to meet the lawyer. 

In the lobby, the presence of Mr. Donovan had already caused a stir amongst the people present there. Officers whispered among themselves, their faces pale with anxiety. 

The chief approached the distinguished lawyer, extending a hand in greeting while trying to hide his nervousness. 

"Mr. Donovan, what brings you here?"

Victor Donovan ignored the handshake and went straight to the point. 

"I'm here to bail out my most important client, Matthew Houston."