With a calm demeanour, Ryan asked Lancelot, "What is wrong?"
But before Lancelot could explain what was happening to Ryan, two police officers walked in. They scanned the bar before locking eyes with Lancelot and asking, "We were told Mr. Ryan Reyes is here. Where is he?" Slowly, Lancelot's eyes drifted towards Ryan. "There he is," he muttered. Even though Ryan was curious about why the police were interested in him, he kept his cool. As the officers strode towards him, their gazes were locked on him. Reaching his front, the one that asked Lancelot of his whereabouts, who seemed to be the boss, brought out his police identification card. "I'm Captain Frank Bowers, and this is Sergeant Alex Miguel. You are being accused of assault and attempted murder in connection with an altercation involving a Mr. Chad," the officer said. Ryan chuckled, remaining calm. "When was this report made?" "Just some hours ago," Captain Frank replied. As Lancelot started to explain that Ryder had been at his stall the whole time and had only just left a few minutes ago, Ryan interrupted him with a quick smile. "Don’t worry, I get what is going on," he said calmly. He knew exactly what was happening. Chad and his crew had set him up. A few days ago, Ryan had a heated argument with Chad, the gang leader, and two of his guys when they tried to harass a customer at the market. On top of that, Chad was the police commander's cousin, which made it clear this was payback for the humiliation Ryan had caused him and his gang that day. Immediately Captain Frank told Ryder that he would be needed at the station for questioning; he rose up, already expecting it with a faint smile. Then Rose, who had been silent and observant out of the puzzle of what was happening, intervened. She rose up. "Officer, I believe you know who I am. I am not trying to compromise the investigation or whatsoever because of my personality, but I believe there is a misconception here. He is not the type to do such a thing, and like you heard his colleague at the market say—" Already knowing what she was about to say, he placed his hands on her shoulders with a smile plastering his face, but genuine this time. "With what you just did, you are already trying to manipulate and compromise the investigation." He chuckled. "Let me follow them to the station to clear myself off the false allegations. I'll be good." He assured her. Concern clouded her face as she tried to speak, but he gently placed a finger on her lips, reassuring her not to worry. She nodded in agreement. "Let’s go," he said to the officers. "What station are you taking him to? I need to be there," she asked urgently, grabbing her purse from the table. After asking the officers for a moment, which they allowed, he walked over to her. "It’s just questioning, not an arrest," he said with a small laugh, raising his wrist to show her he wasn't in handcuffs. "Don't come to the station because of me. I will know if you do; trust me. And if you eventually do, that will be the end of your friendship, I promise you." He chuckled. "I'm sorry for not being there for you today on your special day, but I promise to be at the party to make up for it this weekend." As they locked eyes, with her eyes filling with tears, he walked out of the bar with the officers holding him by each arm. Some patrons whispered, while others looked on with mockery. That’s how life had been on Benjamin’s Street since he started his business there—caught between enemies and friends. When they reached the police station, he was taken to an interrogation room where two officers were already waiting. “A small-time trader pretending to be a killer,” one of them sneered. Ryder chuckled, finding it amusing how quickly they were revealing their bias. “Isn’t this supposed to be an interrogation to determine if I’m guilty or not, or has that already been decided?” They didn’t even bother to introduce themselves. “You’ve got some nerves still denying your guilt. Do you think we are idiots who don’t know our job? Should we tell you the years we’ve been on this force before you realise we are not rookies?” the other officer said. Ryan scoffed. “You mean the years you’ve spent engaging in corruption and other shady practices to get ahead?” The officer suddenly grabbed him by the collar, his face twisted in anger. Despite this, Ryan remained calm, his expression unreadable. The other officer did not even try to stop his colleague. "How dare you say such despicable things about us?! Have you been yearning to live the rest of your life in jail?!" The temperamental officer spat out. The reserved officer chuckled. “His wish is about to come true. No need to waste any more time on this scumbag.” The temperamental officer pulled back, and Ryan did the same, straightening his clothes with a smile that clearly surprised them. The reserved officer then slid a paper and pen towards me. “Write a statement saying you’re guilty of the accusations from Mr. Chad, that you’re sorry and remorseful, and beg for his forgiveness.” Without a word, Ryan took the falsified document, read it, and realised the corruption at play through the content of the document, causing him to scoff. He picked up the pen, pretended to consider complying, and then, with a sly grin, looked up at the officers. Raising his eyebrows in mockery as his smile turned into a smirk, he said, “How can I admit to something I’m not guilty of?” The officer's composed facade cracked, his face contorting with rage. "You think this is a joke, scumbag?" he growled. He stormed across the room, each step echoing ominously. In a flash, he grabbed Ryder's collar, slamming him against the wall. "You will write exactly what I said, got it? You don't have a choice here. You don't f*cking have any." Ryder met the officer's glare, unflinching. "Officer," he said, enunciating each word deliberately, "I. Will. Not." As the cop continued his threats, spittle flying from his mouth, Ryder remained cool as ice. "Back off, man. You are going to regret this." Fury flashed in the officer's eyes. He cocked his fist back, but before he could strike, Ryder sprang into action. In a blur of movement, he twisted the officer's arm and swept his legs out from under him. The officer hit the floor with a thud. The second officer lunged, but Ryder was ready and ducked. A quick sidestep, a well-placed elbow, and the officer joined his partner on the ground. Standing over the groaning officers, Ryder sneered. "So this is how your corrupt institution works, huh? Twisting investigations and framing innocents for what they know nothing about?" The door burst open as more officers flooded in. They pinned Ryder to the wall, rough hands gripping his arms, and they pinned him against the wall. "You're in for it now, punk," one of them growled, tightening his grip on Ryder's arm. As they hauled him away, he couldn't help but grin. His mind raced, plotting his next move. The corruption ran deep, but he, Ryan Reyes, would rip it out by the roots. Something had to change, and he would make damn sure it did. "Time to take down this fucked-up system," he muttered under his breath."You've really screwed yourself over now," the composed officer sneered, wiping blood from his split lip as Ryan was dragged away."Just wait until Commander Johnson hears about this. You are done for, punk."Ryan twisted around, grinning despite the bruising grip on his arms. “Commander Johnson? That's Chad's cousin, right? I can't wait to meet another corrupt piece of sh*t like you.""Watch your f*cking mouth!" one of the cops who was gripping his arms snarled. "You got a death wish or something?"Ryan laughed. "Seriously? You guys have zero shame, huh? Is this how officers act everywhere, or are you all just special kinds of assholes?""Why you little—" The composed officer lunged forward.In a burst of adrenaline, Ryan broke free and landed a vicious kick to the cop's knee. The man crumpled with a howl of pain.It all happened in seconds. Some officers rushed to help their fallen comrade, while others descended on Ryan like a pack of wolves. Fists rained down on Ryder from all s
Emma looked shocked and shifted her gaze between Ryder and the commander."Are you sure?" She asked the commander, who then nodded in affirmation."I will be right back. I want to speak to him."With that, she left the room, leaving Ryder and the commander in there.Suddenly, the commander did something totally unexpected. He bolted over to the chair where Emma had been sitting earlier, looking as nervous as he had been when he first walked in. He leaned in close, like he was about to spill some major secret.Ryan was completely lost. The commander's eyes were wide with panic as he leaned in, his hands clasped together like he was praying. "I'm so sorry, sir. I had no clue you were not just some random dude off the street. Please don't hold this against me. Look, I will come clean; nothing actually happened to Chad. That picture of him getting stabbed? It was fabricated. We faked the whole thing."His voice dropped to a desperate whisper. "I'm begging you; don't let this blow up in
Jane's usual air of superiority since Ryder had met her some minutes ago shifted to vulnerability when he locked eyes with her. It made him curious about why they were there in the middle of the night, especially considering how serious she sounded."What is it?" He asked her, her expression unreadable.Slowly, she walked closer to him, closing the gap between them.But with every step closer, his curiosity grew.When they were just a few steps apart, she finally spoke. “I don’t even know where to start. I had it all planned out in my head, but honestly, I’ve forgotten it.”She closed her eyes momentarily, holding her breath, and opened them, a faint smile plastered on her face. "This might sound weird..."She sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "Oh God! I had this all planned out."She apologised to him for her lack of composure while he stared at her, his mind consumed with curiousity.He could see the hesitation in her eyes from the way she shifted her weight f
After Ryan was dropped off at his home, Jane reminded him that she would be picking him up the next day to go to the courthouse and register their marriage. It was all about keeping up appearances and making sure no one suspected anything.As he stepped inside his small, cramped room, he could not stop thinking about the whirlwind of events that had unfolded that day, especially that moment on the bridge with her. The idea of marrying someone he had just met was still ridiculous to his ears.He let out a dry laugh. "If someone had told me this would happen, I would have said they were out of their mind."But despite the absurdity, he could not shake the memory of her determined gaze. Whatever her reasons were, she was set on this, and he found himself committed to helping her achieve whatever goal she had in mind in the space of three years—the length of their marriage.Still lost in thought, his mind drifted to Mr. Lee. He remembered that Mr. Lee had told him earlier that he would no
As Ryan and Jenna walked towards the gate, he decided to have an important discussion with her before he left."Jenna," he began, his voice gentle but firm, "have you ever thought about living on your own?"She looked up, surprised. "What do you mean? I’m fine here.""I know," he replied, stepping closer. "But... you are smart and capable. It might be good for you to think about having your own place someday, maybe very soon, since you've gotten yourself a big job. It could give you some freedom and particularly a chance to really figure things out for yourself."She bit her lip, considering his words. "I don’t know... it is just so comfortable here with dad and the family.""I get it," he said, nodding. "But comfort is not everything. Sometimes, stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to grow."She stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to read his intentions. Finally, she nodded. "I will think about it.""Good," he smiled. "That’s all I ask, and it is for your o
The constant knocking on the door dragged Ryan out of sleep the next morning.Groaning, he stumbled towards the door, still in his undershorts. Yesterday had been exhausting, and he had stayed up late. But when he opened the door, his eyes widened in surprise—it was Jane. She looked just as startled, clearly not expecting him to be so unprepared on their big day.“Have you forgotten the significance of today for us?” she asked, frustration edging her voice.He quickly apologised, promising he would be ready in just a few minutes. He invited her in and hurried off to get prepared.When he walked out of his small bedroom, she was taken aback by how good he looked.Even though he was just wearing a simple white shirt with black stripes and black trousers, he looked handsome enough to make any woman turn her head."No wonder he has a reputation for attracting women," she thought inwardly.Still, even though he was exactly her type, she did not feel any romantic interest in him."This i
The morning air was still cool when Ryan's phone buzzed. Groggy and annoyed, he answered it to hear Jane’s voice on the other end."I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to pick you up as promised. I’ve got an emergency meeting out of state," she said, her tone brisk."What about your driver? Can’t he come and pick me up?” He asked, his irritation seeping into his voice."No,” she responded sharply. "You will have to find your own way to my house.”Before he could protest, she hung up. A few moments later, his phone pinged again—this time, it was a text with the address and some money for transport.He stared at the credit alert, his annoyance growing. "She is such a rude asshole,” he muttered, pocketing his phone. Even though they had agreed to keep things strictly business, he had hoped she would show a bit of common courtesy. Instead, it felt like she was going out of her way to make things difficult.“I guess that is what I will have to deal with for the next three years,” he sighed
As Ryan drove back to the estate gate, he stopped as the security guard approached the car before opening the gate to let him out. Ryan rolled down the window, smirking as the guard's eyes widened in shock at the sight of him in the sleek car.Ryan scoffed, locking eyes with the guard. "What, you think I stole it because I’m too poor to own something this nice?"The guard struggled to find words, his mouth opening and closing uselessly."Open the gate and let me out of here, you lowlife," Ryan snapped.He chuckled as he watched the guard trudge back to the gatehouse."It’s always the ones with nothing who look down on others when they get a taste of the good life," he muttered to himself.Once the gate was open, he drove forward a bit and stopped in front of the gatehouse."Is there... is anything wrong, sir?" The guard drawled."Sir?" Ryan chuckled.He leaned closer, his voice dripping with mockery. “Don’t worry, I won’t report you to your employer. Your job is safe... for now.”A s