Chapter 4

"We are from the regional investigation unit," a man from the group of men introduced himself. He was obviously their commander. "Permit us in, sir. We have a search and seizure warrant," he continued, stretching the warrant towards Vincent.

" Why? You can't just come here, and I allow you in. If you don't have any reasonable reason as to why you want to go through my office, you can just leave," Vincent's said with a glare at the commander.

"We don't owe you any explanation. I'm just doing my job. Move out of the way," the commander replied angrily, forcefully pushing past Vincent and into the office with his other men trailing behind him.

"What?! You can't just barge into my office like this! What are you even looking for?" Vincent asked helplessly, still trying to make sense of the situation.

The men quickly searched every corner of the room while their commander went straight to Vincent's desk, ignoring his protests, and began rifling through the papers and documents.

"Wait! You can't take that. Those are important documents, " Vincent protested as he walked to the man's front, trying to stop him.

"I must remind you that I have full authority to act under the search and seizure warrant which permits me to confiscate any items in this office," the boss shouted back, gesturing to one of his men who promptly boxed up the documents.

"But I don't understand. Why is this happening?" Vincent questioned, feigning confusion.

"Lawyer Vincent..." The boss began, causing Vincent to raise an eyebrow.

"As I mentioned earlier, we are from the regional investigation unit and have received information suggesting that you may be in possession of illegal items. Do you understand now? Please allow us to carry out our duties," the commander concluded as his men continued searching.

"But..." Vincent started but was cut off.

"Sir, take a look at this," one of the men called out, rushing towards his boss, gesturing towards a briefcase he found at the bottom of a shelf in the office.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," the commander chuckled as he turned to face Vincent, who now wore a shocked expression. Inside the briefcase was a pistol, stash of hard drugs, and a burner phone.

"H-How did this get here? I have never used drugs in my life. And this? I have no idea how this got here. It's a setup," Vincent's voice trembled as he stared at the briefcase.

The commander grinned wickedly. "Looks like the information was right after all. You really are in possession of illegal items," he taunted as he inspected the contents of the briefcase.

"This is a setup! I swear I have no idea how these things got here!" Vincent exclaimed.

"Shut your mouth. You're under arrest for possession of illegal drugs and firearms," the boss growled angrily at Vincent.

"This has to be a setup. I didn't put this here!" Vincent insisted. However, the commander only handcuffed him and took him outside to their awaiting vehicle and drove off.

It wasn't long before they arrived at a prison, not just any prison, but the most notorious prison in the country. This wasn't any place for an ordinary criminal. It is a place that houses the most dangerous criminals. As a lawyer, Vincent was aware of the facility's reputation and understood that it was reserved for the most severe offenders.

"Why am I here? I haven’t done anything wrong. Please, listen to me—I have the right to an attorney. You can't just confine me. I demand my right to a legal counsel!" Vincent protested, but the commander continued to ignore him.

Something wasn't right about this whole situation. Even if he had committed a crime, he deserved a fair trial and a chance to seek legal counsel. And why was he being brought to such a brutal prison? This was where murderers and repeat offenders were sent, not someone like him. Doubt lingered in Vincent's mind as he was taken through the entrance of the prison, surrounded by iron bars and menacing criminals.

As they reached an underground passageway, the commander stopped and turned to the other men. "I'll take it from here. You two can go back," he ordered.

" Okay, sir," they replied in unison.

Vincent watched as the other men obeyed and left. "Please, can you explain what's happening? Let me out of these handcuffs!" He shifted his gaze to the commander, desperate for answers.

"Enough talking, keep moving," the commander shouted, shoving Vincent forward.

Vincent reluctantly complied and followed this man. After a few steps, they got to a door that was guarded by a security guard.

" Welcome, the boss is expecting you," the bodyguard stated, opening the door as Vincent and the commander walked in. As they walked into the room, Vincent could hear the doors shutting behind his back.

"Sir, the job is done," the commander spoke with a firm voice, bowing to the man whose back was facing them.

"What Job?" Vincent mumbled to himself, trying to piece together who this man standing before them could be.

But then, a familiar voice rang out from the figure in front of him.

"Vincent, I warned you. I told you to stop digging for evidence against Bianchi Finance," the familiar voice rang out from the figure, the voice laced with anger.

"Alessandro?" Vincent exclaimed, his mind already racing through all the possibilities. He wasn't surprised at all.

"You're quite good at recognizing one's voice," Alessandro sneered as he turned around to face Vincent, his lips curling into a wry smile. " I warned you not to go after my company, but you failed to listen. This is what you get for not obeying me." Alessandro spat, as he squashed the glass containing liquor in his hand.

" So, you were monitoring me. You placed that briefcase in my office. You planned all this just to end me this way," Vincent scoffed.

" You think I will let you walk away with all those pieces of evidence you had? Huh? You really are a tenacious man, I must say. But you are no match for me," Alessandro boasted as he stepped forward.

" I won't give up on you, Alessandro," Vincent spat out, struggling against the handcuffs that bound his wrists.

" Let's see how you do that in jail, fool," Alessandro grinned wickedly.

Vincent's fist clenched tightly, but there was nothing he could do. He was handcuffed and completely at their mercy. He remained silent, glaring at Alessandro with all the hatred he could muster.

"Oh, and there's one more thing you should know. Sophia and I are getting married soon. Too bad you won't be attending." Alessandro chuckled sarcastically as he directed the commander, who remained silent all this while, to lock up Vincent.

Immediately, Vincent felt his face turned pale. The news hit Vincent like a punch to his stomach. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he processed everything that had just been said. But what could he do? His life was already miserable, and it seemed like destiny had chosen this cruel fate for him.

**********************

Three months later, Vincent collapsed weakly in the corner of his tiny, rugged cell. He closed his eyes against the harsh light streaming in through the small window, revealing the scars etched into every inch of his exposed skin.

He jerked up almost immediately as he heard voices of the guards coming to open his cell. His life had become a living hell since he was thrown into this prison, enduring endless beatings and torture, as if it were just another mundane task for the guards. And now they were here once again for their regular routine of inflicting pain upon him.

"Please! Please! Please! I'm innocent. I have done nothing wrong, please! " Vincent pleaded desperately as the two guards dragged him out of his cell towards a room that looked like a dungeon. His hands were immediately bound together, leaving him helpless and defenseless.

"I swear on my life, I didn't do anything. I was framed," Vincent gasped as he struggled to maintain his balance with his hands tied behind him.

"Well then, explain this," one of the guards growled, showing Vincent a phone with several articles about his case displayed on the screen. The headlines read: 'Prominent Lawyer Arrested for possession of illegal arms and hard drugs.'

"It's all a setup, I swear. Please believe me," Vincent choked out, his voice barely above a whisper as he tried to plead his innocence.

"Shut up!" the guard roared, whipping Vincent mercilessly as he continued to deny any wrongdoing

" Argh!!!," Vincent groaned in pain as he felt the whip pierced through his skin, leaving angry red welts across his already battered body.

"How dare you lie to me, you fraud," the guard spat as he continued to strike Vincent, who was now feeling disoriented.

" Stop that right now," a commanding voice surged through the room. They all turned to look in the direction of the voice. Although Vincent's vision was blurred and he could barely see, he felt a sense of relief and lost consciousness.