I Am Rich Again

Chapter 6

“Yes, you are rich,” Miss B said.

John instantly knelt on the floor, his heart pounding rapidly, tears welling up in his eyes. He had lost everything, and he felt there was no reason to stay alive. Everything he had worked for, everything he had given his all for, was taken away from him in the twinkle of an eye.

“Thank you so much,” John said, tears streaming down his face. Never again did he think he was going to have up to $1000 in his account. In fact he was about to end his life if not for the police that had arrested him.

Miss B, on the other hand, couldn’t understand why John was so grateful for what rightfully belonged to him.

“It’s fine. It’s your money. Please, can you just get up, Mr. John?” Miss B said, looking around as she quickly moved towards him.

John stood up, heaving a heavy sigh.

“We have a lot to discuss, Mr. John,” Miss B said, once again decorum was restored.

“Like what?” John asked, his attention grasped. His body was still tense due to the overwhelming joy he still felt.

“This is not the right place for us to discuss this. For now, let’s leave here and have a proper discussion at my penthouse, if you’ll allow it,” Miss B said courteously.

“Of course” John nodded eagerly. “But what about the false allegations against me?” John interjected as he stood up.

“I will handle that,” Miss B smiled, and they both nodded. For a young woman, she sure sounded and acted mature.

They headed outside the interrogation room. Miss B’s cologne continued to emit its signature scent. As soon as they stepped out, Officer Jason was standing with the other cops, Miss B’s guards. They all had a frown.

“Ma’am, you shouldn’t allow this man to get that close to you,” Officer Jason sneered, as if he had a personal issue with John, as if he had ever caught him red-handed at a crime scene.

Officer Jason lifted a finger and signaled to the officer standing beside him to go and grab hold of John, to drag him away from Miss B, who seemed untainted.

Miss B gently raised her hand, signaling for him to stop.

“That would not be necessary. We have to leave now,” Miss B said, her voice resonating with imperial power and strength.

“Very well then, ma’am. Do have a nice day,” Officer Jason said. “Go and cuff him, take him to his cell. When he is ready to admit his crime and return the diamond ring, he will be released,” Officer Jason instructed the cop beside him.

John, on the other hand, couldn’t make sense of everything he had been told. He was still unsure if everything that was told to him was the truth. Going from being a poor man tired of life, ready to end it all, to a rich multi-billionaire? That was too good to be true.

“That will not be happening,” Miss B interjected, igniting a flame of tension.

“I don’t understand, ma’am. Why is that?” Officer Jason narrowed his gaze at Miss B before speaking, a smile playing at his lips.

“Do you have any evidence that he stole the diamond ring? Did you search him and find any diamond ring with him?” Miss B asked.

“No” Officer Jason said reluctantly.

“So what makes you so sure that he is the one that stole the diamond ring?” Miss B asked coldly.

“I don’t need to search him. I know that he is the one who stole it. I have been in the police for years and I can detect a criminal with just my eyes. Trust me, ma’am, you don’t know these street thugs and criminals. I know them, and I know what they are capable of. I’m sure he lied to you in there, but I am very certain that he was the one who stole it,” Officer Jason said, smiling confidently.

“Show me proof of your claims; your accusations are baseless. Hence, there is no crime. As a matter of fact, whoever accused him of theft could have just fabricated that lie because there is no evidence to prove that a diamond ring was stolen,” Miss B snapped, her face beginning to flush with rage.

Officer Jason stared intently at John, as if wanting to reprimand him, but then he looked away and swallowed his words, returning his gawk to Miss B.

Just before Officer Jason could speak, the old woman returned to the place. She looked a bit tense.

“I… I have found the diamond ring. It was in my car,” she said with a gentle tone. “I had it on my finger all along, but then I… I forgot because I have dementia and tend to forget things,” the old woman said with remorse in her tone.

John’s blood boiled with rage as he stared at her, remembering all the insults and curses he had received from her, all the humiliation just because he was poor at the moment.

"Ma’am, are you serious right now?" Officer Jason sneered.

"I am. Here is the ring," the old woman pointed to a diamond ring on her finger.

"You had the ring all along, and you accused him? You must be joking”Officer Jason flared with rage.

Tears welled up in the old woman's eyes as she walked up to John, who clenched his fists in rage, his jaw tight, and his teeth grinding together.

"I’m sorry, please forgive me. I thought you had stolen the ring. This ring means a lot to me, and the thought of losing it made me lose my mind and reasoning. It is my wedding ring, given to me by my late husband. This is the only thing that links and reminds me of him, so the thought of losing it made me lose my mind," the older lady pleaded, her hands folded together.

John stared at her in silence, then he stretched out his hands and clasped hers, pushing down her folded hands down.

"You don’t have to apologize to me. It’s fine. I know how you felt when the one thing you care about is taken away from you. I have been there as well," John said, bitterness in his heart as he remembered his son whom he loved and cared for, who was supposed to carry his legacy but turned out not to be his child. He had lost him.

"Thank you. I’m really sorry," the old woman whimpered.

John brought her close and embraced her in a hug while his teeth gritted, staring at Officer Jason. He broke away from the hug, then took composed strides towards Officer Jason, who seemed tense and couldn’t meet John's gaze properly.

"So what do you have to say now, Sergeant Jason Kobel?" John asked coldly.

"Um, mistakes happen, and it’s bad and unfortunate that it had to happen with you," Officer Jason said, his pride and ego still intact.

"Mistakes?" John scoffed. "You know what, I am going to make sure that such mistakes don’t happen in the future. You insulted, assaulted, and humiliated me because I was poor. Without evidence, you laid so many allegations at me.

“ But I promise you, now that I am rich again, you are going to pay dearly for what you did so that next time you will not indulge in such, or better still, there will be no next time because I’m going to make sure you are dismissed because obviously, you do not know your job," John spat like venom.

"I’m so sorry, sir, please forgive me. I know I was wrong, but please have mercy on me. I depend on this job, I have nothing else," Officer Jason pleaded.

"Exactly. You mentioned me being poor as the reason I supposedly stole the diamond ring. You also called me an animal.

“Let’s see how you will feel when people call you an animal as well, when you don’t have a source of income anymore and that one thing that gives you pride to treat others inhumanly is taken away from you," John thundered with rage filling every syllable.

He walked away with Miss B to her Mercedes Maybach S-class, and they drove off. While in the car, John thought about everything and how in just a day, his life was a rollercoaster of events.

"What else did you say we have to talk about?" John asked while sitting beside Miss B.

She hesitated in silence but then turned to him.

"It is about your wife, Stephanie," Miss B said calmly.