CHAPTER 4

Oscar’s heart leaped into his throat as he turned back only to meet two able-bodied cops with a baton in their hands and their hands placed strategically on their holsters as if they were expecting a contention.

“Officer, I don’t know why I should be arrested because I have done nothing wrong. I was told that I committed credit card fraud but it’s an absolute lie. They are trying to frame me.”

Oscar’s words were tumbling over each other as he desperately tried to defend himself.

One of the officers spoke. “Hands behind your back now!”

“You are making a mistake, you have the wrong person. I overheard the conversation that proved that Lady Vivian was trying to frame me. What evidence do you have against me?”

The officer responded. “I won’t repeat myself, Oscar Jones.”

Oscar knew that it was time to succumb to their command. He extended his hands, offering himself to the cuffs as the officer clicked the cuffs into place, securing him.

But Oscar remembered his wife. He had to say a few words to her before the cops took him to their station. He had to tell her goodbye and promise that he was going to make it up to her when he returned.

“Officer, please allow me to speak to my wife one last time before you take me,” Oscar pleaded desperately. “I just want to say a few words to her. I am sure you understand what family means.”

The officers shared a look of contemplation as they processed the request that Oscar made.

One of them finally responded. “Alright, but you have only two minutes. I am only allowing you to do this because you are already cuffed.”

Oscar quickly rushed into the guest hall with his hands cuffed. He hoped that he could look Charlotte in the eye and tell her how much he loved her and would make things right.

“Bwahaha! The loser has finally been arrested,” Arabella threw her head back in laughter as she mocked Oscar while he ran through the guest hall. “How much did you steal this time?”

Inara, who had pretended to be hurt in her baby bump also joined in the mockery. “How is it that you look much better on cuffs than without it? You were made for this Oscar, hehe.”

“I wish I could give you a few more punches before the cops take you away. Your face should be more battered than this,” George joined in the fun fair. He was enjoying the ridicule and never really cared about Oscar’s innocence.

Oscar halted for a moment before scanning their faces. “You all will regret what you have done I promise you.”

Immediately Oscar spoke, he hurried towards the stairs leaving behind the derogatory words coming from Inara, Arabella, and George who dared him to show what he was made of.

He got to the entrance and knocked gently but there was no response so he increased the intensity. He didn’t want to barge into the room because of the way they parted the other time.

But he started hearing a chorus of pleasure and a symphony of moans that emanated from behind the door. The moans kept growing louder and louder until he could no longer take it.

In a burst of tension, he flung the door open with aggression.

The truth exploded like a bomb within him as he stood frozen as if his feet were rooted to the ground.

The image was never going to erase from Oscar’s mind. Charlotte’s eyes fluttered shut and her back ached in surrender as her body was writhing in pressure under a man who was smashing her with a passionate assault.

Her moan was a testament to the embrace as her skin flushed with the intensity of the lovemaking.

Charlotte leaped apart from the man immediately she realized that it was Oscar. She quickly scrambled for her clothes and her fingers were fumbling with her zippers in a struggle to cover herself.

“Young man, what the fvck are you doing here?” The man seethed, his teeth bared in anger.

“Are you out of your mind? Are you—” Oscar couldn't even finish his words because of the intense anger that was burning within him as he charged toward the man. His fists clenched as he threw his arms at the man but his cuffs prevented him from attacking.

Oscar’s face was a picture of heartbreak as he looked broken, his face a theater of misery as he turned his gaze towards Charlotte who was still fumbling her zippers. “Charlotte, who is this man? Why would you do this to me?”

Oscar’s lips quivered with the weight of the betrayal as he spoke.

Charlotte’s lips trembled as she braced herself for the weight of her confession. “Oscar, his name is Bradley Stevens. I am sorry you are just finding out about this. I didn't know how to tell you this until before but we have been having an affair for some months now.”

Bradley just folded his hands, his gesture a sharp edge of arrogance as a smirk cut across his face.

“What?!” Oscar gnarled, his muscles popping out of his neck in anger. “You mean that you have been cheating on me for months? Why would you do that to me?”

Bradley cut in, his smirk a sneer of disdain. “You are not deaf, are you? We have been having an affair for a while and now she is about to divorce you.”

Bradley then turned towards Charlotte, his disdainful smile worn like a badge of pride. “Or isn’t that so sweetheart?”

Charlotte was a statue of silence, her dilemma a heavy burden that made her seem to get lost in a world of confusion until she eventually broke out of her uncertainty and found the courage.

“Oscar, I am sorry but he is right. I have put up with you long enough and things didn't change. Here is a divorce agreement. Please just sign it and let’s move on. I am with Bradley now.”

Oscar’s eyes were hollow and his face was a mask of shock. His heart shattered like glass as he picked up the divorce paper. He couldn't even look his wife in his face. He couldn't stay there even a second more so he turned his back and stormed off with the divorce file in his hands.

“Good riddance!” Charlotte spoke as he left the room and Oscar heard that.

The hallway echoed with the sound of Oscar’s footsteps as he was glazed over with grief. He stumbled onward, unaware of his surroundings until he got outside.

The cops descended in a torrent of authority as they shoved him into the waiting vehicle with ruthless efficiency.

“Haha, he doesn't even look like someone worth the stress,” the cop mocked as he made fun together with his colleague.

The cop vehicle swerved through the streets as Oscar was propelled into an unknown fate. He was seated in the backseat and close to the window but his attention was snatched by the thunderous sound of an aircraft overhead.

Oscar’s head lifted and his eyes were drawn to the aerial spectacle.

He glinted his eyes when he saw something that sucked in his attention further. He narrowed his eyes even more as he saw an inscription clearly written on the aircraft’s belly.

[JONES PRIVATE AIRFORCE - TRESPASSERS BEWARE! CODE 10XXV2Q]

The inscription danced across Oscar’s mind and his curiosity was heightened.

What?! Except for the code, that was the same inscription that used to be on his late father’s private aircraft. Could someone have stolen his aircraft? Could his late father be alive?