All the policemen stood alert and saluted their superior, who seemed caught off guard by the picture before him. Behind him were three more people who made Mr. De’Luka’s face form deep furrows as his intestines turned into knots of ice.Ana, Liya, and Mr. Jonathan were shocked to find Mr. De’Luka inside the room.“At ease!” The superior said, still scanning his subordinates one by one with unrequited questions.“What is this man doing in here in the interrogation room?” He added.All the officers looked down with guilt and barren mouths.“I wanted to add something about criminals that slipped out of my mind when I was reporting this social crime.” Mr. De’Luka thought it wise to save the situation. The new guy seemed to be hardcore. Not the type that would bend easily.“Really? Is that why the camera for this room is turned off? Just because you wanted to add something you had forgotten to tell the police?” The officer asked again.He was the same officer who had rescued Jordan a week a
Mr. De’Luka felt defeated. Officer Adamson was so gross to him. He was not like those other police officers he was able to buy with just a few notes. This one seemed like he would blow his head off if he made the mistake of proposing such a deal. He was torn between letting the matter go and accepting defeat, dealing with Jordan his own way, or maintaining his stand. But he was sure if he chose the latter, the investigation would pin him down, and this officer didn’t look like he had the word pardon in his vocabulary. Glaring at Jordan, Mr. De’Luka counted the man so lucky. He had managed to turn his own daughter against him, earning the trust of the entire neighborhood in no time, and now he was finding favor in the eyes of the police, who Mr. De’Luka thought would help him crash the man. ‘Such a lucky son of a witch. But I am far from done. I just need to restrategize my plan without pressure.’ He thought inwardly as he fixed the nothingness on his suit. “I have zero tolerance for
Officer Adamson stared at Jordan for a while. He might have fallen for Jordan’s cover-up lie, but something about Jordan was baffling him. There was some disorienting aura that Jordan excluded, and the officer could not crack what it was.“Yes, officer? You wanted to talk to me?” Jordan spoke first. The way the officer was gawking at him with assorted sentiments was baffling him. He could not exactly tell whether his instincts were right or wrong, but he had a hunch that the officer was wary of him somehow.“Would you like to add something on top of what you just said a while ago? I am not saying you lied. I mean, we have witnessed a lot of these cases where wealthy people force their children to intermarry with icons of the same pedigree. But, aside from that, is there any other reason why Mr. De’Luka would be on your neck like this?” The officer asked calmly and was friendly.Jordan shook his head after a conscientious mental deliberation. His fight with Mr. De’Luka was far from ove
Jordan wandered through the corridors of the station, engrossed in thoughts. The officer’s words were banging on his head and clouding his mind like a dark cloud. He did not understand why the officer said that to him. He already had Mr. De’Luka on his ass. He did not want to have a corpse on his trail either.“Jordan? Did all go well?” He was startled by Ana’s voice.They had been waiting for him in the waiting area near the gate. Jordan had not even realized he had walked that long to reach the gate. He looked around for that old fool, but he was nowhere to be found.“Yes. All is well. Are you okay?” Jordan asked Ana. He thought she must have been regretting going against her father.“I am fine. What did the officer say? Did he buy your lie?” Ana asked. She did not seem worried at all,, contrary to Jordan’s prior thoughts.“Yes. Shall we go now?” Jordan asked. He did not want to worry them with what the officer said. That was between him and the officer.“Sure. The car is waiting ou
“It is for your own good, ex-father! Stop going after us, or I will forget everything you have done for me and reveal everything about this whole saga to the police. I know you are used to buying your way out, but that will be hard now that you have aroused suspicions about you. I still respect you and appreciate what you have done for me, but here is where I draw the limit. Leave us alone, or you will bear the consequences.” Ana warned, and everyone on her side admired her boldness. Even Liya loved the girl’s courage.“I cannot believe this. My own daughter, the girl I picked from the streets and cleaned up, is not only willing to rant me out to the police but also blackmail me. Fantastic!” Mr. De’Luka said between gritted teeth.“I learned from the best teacher, Mr. De’Luka, and you know it. I was not a De’Luka for all these years, all for nothing. You raised me this way, dad. Dad, it is only fair that I put what you and your wife taught me all these years into practice. Even if it
“Everything is alright. Nothing to worry about.” Jordan said, his eyes escorting the officer as he drove off.People broke the ring of the circle they had created to shield Jordan when the officer disappeared from their sight. Only then did they relax and believe that the officer was not there for Jordan.“Are you sure, Jordan? I don’t trust that officer guy. Why exactly did he follow you here? These people are very cunning.” Mr. Mario spoke on behalf of the people.“I also have a bad feeling about this. It seems like they are still not off your neck, Jordan.” Liya stated.“It is nothing, guys. I don’t think we have anything to worry about. Maybe he just really wanted to make sure that we didn’t run into any trouble on the way here.” Jordan tried to convince someone about something he himself was not so convinced about.He didn’t know the officer would go through all that trouble escorting them home as if they were that important. Then the officer’s words resonated in Jordan’s head: ‘
“Why are you thinking so much? Am I a burden? Do you think I will weigh you down?” Ana asked with utter concern. Jordan had remained mute for a couple of pretty long moments. The lights in the neighborhood were on, but they were not doing enough justice for Ana to read what was written on Jonathan’s face.He cleared his throat, scraping his head a couple of times. He did not want to leave the girl behind. She had become his responsibility. He did not want to abandon her. But where would he take her? He could not rent her a house because he had used all the advance payment he had taken from Mr. Jonathan. Mr. Jonathan even had to go back to his pockets and add some more dollars. And he did not want to ask for another advance payment.“Well, you see, Ana, I think it will be best if you stay here. Maybe in the meantime. I just don’t have any means of taking care of you right now. And I can’t go with you to Mr. Jonathan’s house.” Jordan explained.He really felt bad, but that was how his s
The neighbors had prepared a lot of food for everyone. The drinks were plentiful, and music was playing in the background.They ate and drank the entire night. Only the children slept. Songs were composed in tribute to Jordan. Everyone sang his praises and prayed to the gods to bless him. It was merry until dawn came, announcing Jordan’s departure.The goodbyes are never easy. Not ever, and that was the case with Jordan.“You haven’t even taught us those cool moves, Jordan. How can you leave so soon?” One guy asked when Jordan thought he had answered all the questions.“Some other time, boys. Like I promised, I will be back, and we can do many more great things. I will teach you martial arts, but next time.” He pleaded with them.“We trust you, sir. And it will be so selfish of us to tie you down after everything you have done for us.” The man saidJordan smiled after reaching an understanding with them. “Aright. And remember all that we agreed upon. Observe cleanliness. Whenever you