Danny stood up, and he and his dad locked eyes in a tense standoff, anger resonating between them. The tension in the room was palpable.His mother rushed to him and embraced him, tears streaming down her face.“Son, forgive me. There was nothing I could do,” she sobbed.“It’s okay, Mom. I know. I’m not going to go to jail. I promise. I’m going to get you out of here,” he vowed. He hoped he would find evidence to clear his name soon and, by any means necessary, free his mother from his father’s grasp. “Pathetic,” Mr. Weston almost spat.He continued, “When you’re done, get the hell out of my house.”They exchanged one last stern look, and Danny left, determined to find Abigail.When he tried calling Abigail, her phone went straight to voicemail each time. He was hesitant to go to her house due to her dad, so he kept trying her phone until she finally picked up. He sounded furious as he asked her why she mentioned his parents to his lawyer.“I didn’t tell him about your parents. I onl
During lunchtime in the school cafeteria, Damon, Fortune, Abigail, and Phillips gathered to discuss their upcoming journey. Phillips was sharing all the information he had gathered about the man they were planning to meet, thanks to his mother’s connections. Damon was slightly puzzled about why his mom would share such confidential information with Phillips, but he decided to let it slide as it was working in their favor. Perhaps he was simply too close to his mom.“He lives in Southseas, which is about three hours away from RichVille. We should visit him, ask him whatever we need, and then leave,” Phillips explained.Fortune questioned, “We?” “He wants to come along, and he’s been helpful, giving us all the information we need,” Abigail defended Phillips.“Yeah, after he released the video, is this a way to clear your conscience?” Fortune probed.Phillips replied, “Maybe. I just want to help. I feel bad for Danny, and the video I released helped pin the murder on him. I want to set
Feeling disheartened, the group sought solace and sustenance at a nearby restaurant, where they pondered their disappointment. While the others saw it as a setback, Damon viewed it as a potential step forward. The description given by the man who had witnessed the accident intrigued him. He couldn’t quite explain it, but he had a gut feeling that the other individual present at the scene might hold crucial information. Perhaps that person had witnessed the actual events leading to the tragedy.Damon had been struggling to believe wholeheartedly in Danny’s innocence. He was the kind of person who relied on tangible evidence and facts. However, the pieces of the puzzle didn’t fit neatly into place, and this uncertainty excited him. He became more determined than ever to uncover the truth. Could it be that the man’s vague recollection held the key, or was it Danny himself? The answer was yet to be found.Damon understood that to solve this mystery, he needed to gather all possible clues
*Flashback*Five days ago.Laura, Damon’s mother, had received Diana’s autopsy report. With a sense of urgency, she took the documents straight to her office and promptly requested Sheriff Oliver to come over.In less than 30 minutes, Sheriff Oliver arrived at her office. Laura, with a firm grip on the autopsy report, prepared to divulge the startling details she had discovered during Diana’s autopsy examination. Her heart raced with anticipation as she readied herself to share the shocking revelations concerning Diana’s tragic and untimely death.Sheriff Daniels leaned forward, causing the leather chair to creak softly, his brows furrowing with concern. “What does the autopsy report say, Laura?”Laura cleared her throat and proceeded to share the chilling findings she had just received from the forensic pathologist. Her voice quivered, a mix of disbelief and anxiety in her tone. “Sheriff, the autopsy report for Diana is… truly perplexing. Diana was discovered lifeless in her bed, her
Damon returned to his seat, his focus shifting as he scanned the crowd, attempting to locate the cashier. Aurora observed the change in his behavior, noticing that he was no longer fully engaged in their conversation. She decided to give him some space and turned her attention back to the event. Aurora couldn’t help but wonder if she had done something to upset him or if he was simply growing tired of her company. She was left pondering what he might have encountered during his brief absence that caused such a noticeable change in his mood.After the event concluded, Damon spotted the cashier preparing to leave. He politely excused himself and approached her in the midst of the departing crowd. Damon took out his phone and showed her some photos of Phillips, inquiring if he was the person Diana used to come with to the store. She confirmed that it was indeed him.The sudden revelation left Damon’s mind in a whirlwind of confusion. He couldn’t fathom how Diana and Phillips could have b
Damon’s determination to unveil Phillip’s role in this intricate narrative was unwavering. He sought to find the connections between Phillip and Diana before her tragic demise, and to understand Phillip’s apparent lack of emotion when she was hit and when she ultimately passed away.The notion of coupling Diana and Phillip in a single sentence continued to perplex him. He didn’t underestimate Phillip, but some aspects of their relationship seemed too incredible to be true, as if they were hidden from plain sight. The clatter of banging lockers snapped him back to reality, making him aware of the time he’d spent lost in thought. He swiftly retrieved his chemistry book and headed straight to class.Classes no longer felt the same for him; he was perpetually lost in his own thoughts. As the bell rang for the break, he welcomed the respite. Even while seated with his friends during lunch, they couldn’t help but notice his distant demeanor. They probed, asking what was bothering him, and
Damon, Aurora, Fortune, and Joanna were the only ones left in the house with Alex. Joanna was a bit surprised by the events that had just taken place. A kid challenging an officer and not getting arrested? It felt like she was watching a movie. The fact that the people at the party seemed to consider it somewhat normal was bewildering.Damon, however, was seething with anger about the system in their society. Alex’s father was influential, perhaps the most influential person in the entire town, and Alex never hesitated to use his status. It wasn’t just Alex; almost all the members of the founding families behaved in a similar manner. Damon had never seen Fortune do such a thing, but there were times when Fortune managed to escape trouble simply by mentioning his last name.Danny, Dominic, and Abigail entered the living room, which was a mess with plastic cups and bottles scattered everywhere.“Wow, one hell of a party happened here,” Dominic remarked.Alex sat on the stairs with Alici
Damon was caught in a difficult situation, not knowing how to clear himself. He wondered how Phillips had found out about the incident in the first place, as it wasn’t something he had openly shared with anyone.He glanced at Aurora’s eyes and saw the disappointment in them. He had let her down, and he knew he should have been honest with her from the beginning. Now, she might be thinking that Damon had lied to her just so she would kiss him.“Aurora, it was something that just happened out of the blue. It meant nothing to me,” Damon tried to explain, but the atmosphere in the room remained tense, and the judgmental looks from others didn’t make things any easier.“I’m outta here,” Aurora said, standing up and making her way to the exit.Damon attempted to chase after her, but Alex grabbed his shirt, insisting, “We’re not done here.”Fortune came to Damon’s defense, standing up and coming between them, saying, “Yes, we are.”Alex eventually let go of Damon, realizing that there were t
Wood decided to work with the local police. This time his focus was on Damon, who had recently gone missing. He was thinking that maybe the two of them had run away from society to be with themselves, to avoid criticism about their identity, but Allen had made it clear that it was bigger than that. On his way to the sheriff's office, Wood bumped into a beautiful lady. From the looks on her face, he could tell she was stressed out. Could she be Damon’s mother?“I’m so sorry, my bad,” Wood apologized.“It’s okay,” she said and proceeded, but he stopped her.“Excuse me, are you Damon’s mother?” he asked, getting her attention.He watched as her curiosity peaked and her eyes flashed with hope.“Yes, do you know my son? Have you seen him?” she asked.“That’s why I’m here. I’m Agent Wood. I work with the FBI, and we’re here for the ongoing case of Mr. Alex. During our investigation, we learned that your son also went missing a few days after Alex did,” Wood said.“I don’t even know when Ale
Allen, seated on a large chair in his house, contemplated who might have held his son hostage just to get back at him. He was so confused he didn’t know what to do. Just then, his assistant came in with a cup of coffee to help him relax.“Thanks,” he said as soon as he was served. Before sipping the coffee, he asked, “Hey James, do you think one of them has him?” He asked with concern.“I doubt that, sir. They wouldn’t do that; they’re not that dumb. Moreover, if they did, you’d know,” James, his assistant, assured.“Let’s just leave the investigation for the FBI. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be working with them. You know you’re already on their radar,” James added.“I know, but I’ll do anything for my son. They won’t get anything out of me,” Allen said and dismissed James. He then continued to contemplate. Shortly, James came in to announce that Wood was here to see him, to which he told him to allow Wood in.Wood came inside wearing a corporate suit. He walked gr
In less than 24 hours. The FBI was already in the city carrying out investigations, the first thing they did was go to Alex’s school as they learned that he sent the voice message the night they won the championship. With the permission of the school, they began to question students whom they’ve learned are Alex’s known associates, including Fortune and the rest. “So you’re saying he gave his phone to this guy name Phillips and Phillips went home with it?” An agent name “Wood” asked. “Yes, I’m certain,” Alicia replied. “Are you saying that this Phillips person has something to do with Alex being missing?” Wood asked. “I’m not saying that, but we should try connecting the dots here, Alex went to get his phone from him and that was the last time he was heard of or seen.” Alicia explained. “Well, I suppose we’re gonna have to bring this Phillips person in for questioning, I’ve heard his name countless times in this investigation, a few kids said the same thing you said,” Wood said.
"We need to start asking questions: Where was the last place Damon was seen after the trial?" Alicia asked."Um, I didn't see him leave, but neither did we see Phillips too. He and his mother were both present," Abigail replied."We should go check the park. Maybe their security cameras caught something. It's possible that I can hack into it to retrieve videos, photos, or anything that can help," Dominic added."No, it's too risky to hack into a court's security system. Why don't we just ask my dad to retrieve it legally?" Alicia suggested."We don't have that kind of time. This is Damon we're talking about," Fortune said."Trust me, I know the implications of things like this. Let me ask my dad. Just give me time," they all contemplated for a while before agreeing to her plans.Alicia then went to her father's office to discuss with him. In the office, she saw Martha, Philip's mother. Not wanting her to know what they wanted to discuss, she whispered to her father to dismiss her. He,
The time had come for them to meet with Alicia. She called Abigail again and instructed her to ensure Phillips wasn't with them.Abigail was somewhat surprised; this behavior mirrored Damon's. What's the deal with them and Phillips? "That won't be a problem because he's not with us," Abigail replied."Good," Alicia said and hung up. Abigail had only agreed to work with Alicia because of Damon. Otherwise, she would have blocked Alicia's number the moment she called.Abigail, Fortune, Danny, and Dominic went to the school to meet with Alicia. She led them to the chemistry lab, where she pulled out her laptop from her backpack. Then, she connected a drive and played a video for them to watch.In the video, a figure covered in a large black material walked inside gently, as if sneaking in. The material got caught, revealing something golden embedded on their chest and by the waist – a gun. However, the video was blurry, making it impossible to discern the person's face."This looks like t
There are times when we have to suppress our feelings so we won't look weak, to not give our enemies the satisfaction of seeing us broken. It takes a strong mental and emotional will to do this.For Alex, it's something he has had to do all his life. From the moment his mother died and his father left him in the name of business, Alex had to suppress his emotions – to not appear like he was lacking a parental figure, to not appear like he missed his mother.All his life, while being in the midst of people who claimed to be his friends, he always felt lonely and depressed. That's why he camouflaged his feelings into being bad, manipulative, and most of all, sarcastic.He didn't know it, but he constantly put everyone in a situation where they would have to choose between him and someone or something else. He was constantly trying to prove to himself that people didn't really value him, and they just kept him around because of his trauma.He used that excuse to challenge everyone's loyal
Damon discreetly trailed Phillips and his mother, maintaining a cautious distance as he observed their interactions. While preparing to enter the car, they appeared engaged in a heated argument."The police department is going to do everything they can to find the killer; we're in a precarious situation," Martha expressed her concern, contemplating the next course of action. If Danny had been incarcerated, the case would have concluded, sparing them scrutiny. However, now the police would intensify their efforts until the perpetrator was identified.Martha grappled with the implications of Alex's disappearance. Anticipating that the town would soon be inundated with security agents, she recognized the complexity of the situation she had unwittingly entangled herself in. Faced with these challenges, she pondered devising a plan. The notion of portraying Alex's demise as an accident crossed her mind, but the geographical incongruity and potential questions arose—Alex is said to have left
Damon then called Danny's lawyer, instructing him to keep everything a secret and meet him at the restaurant."Why's that?" Ramirez asked on the phone."You wanna win or not, get here, please," Damon said and hung up.The restaurant door opened, and a man dressed in a corporate suit entered. He scanned the place and saw Damon sitting beside two girls. He then went to them."This better be quick," he said, sitting down and checking his watch.Damon then introduced them and told him their story and how Regina could actually be the key to Danny's freedom.Ramirez watched the video thoroughly, studying it."Check the time it was filmed," Damon said.He then looked at the bottom of the video; the time was exactly when Nate was shot. This proves that Danny wasn't the one who did it.Finally, he wasn't going to lose to Garry this time."Do you know what this means? Your friend could be free for this. If I could put you on the witness stand and you testify to this, my client is definitely gonn
"Mr. Daniel Weston, you said Diana was with you the first time; can you please elaborate on what happened the first time?" the prosecutor said.Danny then looked at his lawyer, who gave him the go-ahead."She came to my house to study first, and then while studying, we heard noise from the living room. I immediately knew it was my dad... beating up my mom, so I went to help," Danny replied."How exactly did you plan on helping? Were you going to fight your father or beg him?" The prosecutor asked."How does this concern... all of this?" Danny snapped. He looked at the judge, who didn't utter any word. God, he hated lawyers. Maybe this was also a legal procedure, or was the prosecutor trying to get him to fumble his story and prove he's been lying all along? Not a chance."I tried to get him to back down, even if it meant fighting back, and he eventually did," Danny said."But that's not exactly how I remember the story," the prosecutor said.'What now?' Danny thought. Why was this man