Chapter 09
Author: @kcee
last update Last Updated: 2024-12-11 00:31:27

Liam Wilson sat in the sleek, modern apartment inside Wilson Manor, his laptop open in front of him. The soft hum of the room’s air conditioner and the distant sounds of the estate were the only noises in the space. He was focused on the problem at hand, tapping away at the keyboard with practiced precision. He had been consulting for a tech startup for the last few months, and the work was demanding. But that was the life he had chosen, a life far removed from his family’s expectations.

His eyes flickered to the clock on the wall. It was almost 3:00 PM.

Liam leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head. He took a long sip from his coffee mug, the warm liquid filling him with a slight jolt of energy. The cup was starting to cool, and his thoughts wandered to the conversation he had with their mother earlier that day.

“She called,” Isabel had told him, her voice steady but with an undercurrent of emotion. “Oliver said he’s planning to come back home.”

Liam had been caught off guard. Three years had passed since Oliver left without a word, not even a goodbye, abandoning the life his father had carefully set out for him. Liam hadn’t seen him since, and although their contact had been sparse, he often wondered about his brother, especially now that they were both adults, both figuring out who they were in this world.

His family had never quite recovered from it, least of all Charles, their father. Liam remembered the distant look in his father’s eyes whenever Oliver’s name was mentioned. It had been a long, silent wound that no one had dared to talk about.

Liam set the coffee mug down on the desk with a soft thud. His brow furrowed as he reached for his phone, pulling up Oliver’s contact. He hadn’t tried calling him in months—maybe longer—but now that he knew his brother was planning to return, he felt an odd pull in his chest. A sense of responsibility. He needed to hear his voice. To know if Oliver was okay.

He tapped the screen to dial, holding the phone up to his ear. The phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times.

Nothing.

Liam’s thumb hovered over the screen, unsure if he should leave a message. He was about to end the call when the phone clicked. A deep voice, rough and unfamiliar, answered on the other end.

“Hello?”

Liam froze for a moment, the words stuck in his throat. The voice wasn’t Oliver’s. His mind raced.

“Who is this?” Liam asked, trying to keep his voice calm, though a tight knot formed in his stomach.

“This is Officer Daniels from the Springdale Police Department,” the voice replied, steady but with an edge of weariness.

Liam’s heart skipped a beat. A chill spread over him, and for a split second, he wondered if he had misheard. “Yes, this is Liam. What’s going on? Where’s Oliver?”

“Who are you to him?” Officer Daniels asked him.

“I'm his brother,” Liam replied, his heart racing.

There was a long pause, followed by the officer’s heavy sigh. “Your brother has been arrested,” Officer Daniels said bluntly. “He’s in custody for theft.”

The words hit Liam like a punch to the gut. His grip tightened around the phone as the shock settled in. “What do you mean? Arrested for theft? What’s going on? Where is he?”

“I can’t give you all the details right now,” the officer replied, his tone professional but empathetic. “He’s been accused of stealing money from his employer. We’ve got him here at the station.”

Liam’s head spun, the information a blur in his mind. Theft? That didn’t make sense. Oliver had always been a little reckless, but this—this wasn’t him.

“I need to speak with him,” Liam demanded, his voice shaking slightly. “Put him on the phone.”

The officer hesitated. “I’m afraid that’s not possible right now. He’s been processed, but he hasn’t been allowed to make calls yet.”

“Please,” Liam pressed, his words quick and desperate. “I need to hear his voice. I need to know if he’s okay. Just… just put him on the phone.”

There was another pause, and Liam could almost hear the officer’s sigh over the line. “I understand your desperation. But as I said, he’s not available to speak right now. However, if you want, you can come down to the station and speak with him in person. We’ve got him in custody, but you’ll be able to see him if you get here soon.”

Liam’s mind raced. He needed to see Oliver. He couldn’t just sit here, waiting for answers. He slammed his palm against the desk, making the laptop rattle slightly.

“Thank you, Officer,” Liam said, though his voice was tight. “I’ll be there. Just… don’t let anything happen to him. Please.”

“We’ll do our best, Mr. Wilson,” the officer replied before the call ended.

Liam sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the situation slowly sinking in. He looked at the phone, his mind reeling. He hadn’t seen Oliver in years, not since the day his brother had left without a word. And now, after all this time, just when he was planning to return home, he was arrested for theft? It didn’t make sense.

Liam quickly grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair and pulled it on. He didn’t hesitate as he rushed out of his apartment. His heart was pounding in his chest, and a gnawing feeling of dread twisted in his stomach. Something was wrong. Oliver was in trouble, and Liam had no idea what kind of trouble he was in.

The hallway of Wilson Manor seemed quieter than usual as Liam jogged down the marble staircase, his footsteps echoing off the walls. The estate was enormous, grand and cold in a way that made Liam feel like an outsider in his own home. But none of that mattered now.

He needed to get to the police station.

The drive to Springdale Police Department was a blur. Liam’s mind kept returning to the officer’s words. Oliver had been arrested. The accusations against him—stealing money—didn’t make sense. The Oliver he remembered wasn’t a thief. Sure, he was impulsive and reckless, but he wasn’t the type of person to do something like this.

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