CHAPTER 2

"What happened?" Vincenzo asked as he approached the accident scene.

The crash was on the edge of the road where a small car was rammed to another one. His heart did a double take as he walked past the quiet road and shops around the area, taking in his surrounding to spot his girlfriend. As long as she's okay, he will be fine.

A pretty girl dressed in a flowery gown and her hair worn in a ponytail squeezed herself through a dark corner as she ran towards Vincenzo. He saw her and ran towards her as well but an older man pulled her arm and stopped her from moving till Vincenzo got to where they were both standing.

"Lilian!" He cried as he hugged her and assessed her face. "Are you okay? How did this happen?"

The older man scoffed, bringing Vincenzo's attention to him.

"Mr. Johnson," he greeted the older man. "I came as soon as I heard. I hope nobody got hurt."

"About time you asked." He spat. "I called to tell you there's been an accident and all you could do was come around to play love with my daughter. Someone could have seen us."

"I was worried because you said she was involved."

He looked like he'd just said the worst thing ever as his face shot daggers.

"Wasn't she involved?" He barked. "Look at me in the face and tell me again that she wasn't. Can you be any more useless?"

With that, he turned to leave as a black vehicle pulled up on the road. It was the police vehicles. He could see how scared and apprehensive they became as soon as the vehicles arrived. He wondered what could have happened.

"What happened?

"I...my dad. He was just coming back from golfing with his friends when he suddenly called to tell me he hit a vehicle. I'm sure those people were drunk and ran into his car first." Lilian explained, her voice trailing off as she cried.

It broke his heart to see the love of his life heartbroken, scared and vulnerable while he could not do anything about it.

"So, what you're saying is that your father hit a vehicle and killed all the passengers," Vincenzo repeated what Lilian had narrated. "While he was coming back home and now you're afraid he will get arrested. Can't he resolve it with the police since there might be way to proof the victims ran into his car first as you claim.

"And ruin his chances of becoming a senator in the city? I can't let that happen or his life will be over." Lilian continued to say, her eyes filling with tears.

"Why do you bother narrating stories to him!?" Williams barked, disgust filling his eyes. "What is he going to do?"

Vincenzo knew Williams never liked him because of his status and he never hid it. Since Lilian introduced him to her father as her boyfriend, he had thrown one hell of a tantrum and almost cursed his daughter for bringing home a ``ragdoll`` according to his words. For about a year now, Vincenzo had tried proving to Williams that he may not have all the material things to give his daughter now, but he has a future. However, all efforts have failed to impress the old man whose whole life had been about spending money and being influential.

"Dad, let's not be hard on him." Lilian begged but her father would not listen.

"If only you had married that boy, Ethan, it would have been easy to bypass the law. Now, my name will be at stake as everyone will see me as a murderer and not vote for me." His eyes fell, revealing a vulnerable man that Vincenzo had never seen before.

At once, he felt sorry for his father-in-law.

"If only I can find someone to take the blame. I'll forever be grateful and I'll do anything he wants."

"I'll do it!" Vincenzo said without thinking. All he had in mind was to help his father-in-law out of this mess.

Lilian glanced towards his direction, confusion written all over her puffed up face. "What do you mean, Vincenzo?"

He nodded his head as he looked from her to Williams, mind made up. "I can just take the blame if it's going to be for a while. What can go wrong?"

"You don't have to do this," she teared up. "We can try to get out of this mess but having you take it up is not reasonable."

"I can't believe this, son," Williams spoke up, his voice filled with the kindness Vincenzo has never been treated before. The word coming out of Vincenzo mouth gladen his heart, who knows the pauper that look like an excuse of a potential son-in-law would one day be useful.

As the crowds were pushing through to get to the scene and see the bad driver that had hit people with careless driving, Vincenzo could not help the feeling of dread mixed with pride that washed over him. Dread because he didn't know what life would be like in detention. Pride because finally, he could do something worth having his potential father-in-law's praise. It made him feel accepted for the first time.

"Hey, boy!" A voice called sharply from behind him and he turned to look.

It was Williams approaching him. "I can't believe you're doing this. Thank you." He said in the lowest voice possible. I promise I'll get you out maximum in 48hours.

"Take care of yourself, babe." Lilian came over to hug him.

"And you too sweetheart. Soon, your father will get me out and your father's ambition will still be intact."

"Hmm." She nodded and walked past him, her eyes puffy as tears threaten to fall.

Vincenzo knew that if anything, this gesture would make him more acceptable by Williams and as soon as he gets out, they will be one big family.

"I drove the car. It belongs to my girlfriend's father."

The crowds gasped and the officers turned to look at Vincenzo. Immediately, the atmosphere became hot and unbearable for him as the crowds hurled insults at him and lurched at him violently.

"Murderer!" They cried as they hit him. He staggered.

"Keep moving." The cops pushed him.

The trial and verdict took just two days since Vincenzo had admitted to driving the vehicle that injured a whole family severely. But deep down, he had hopes that Williams would get him out with his influence so he had nothing to worry about. He however went off with some questions during questioning which didn't match well with description of the incident. Eventually, the judge passed a judgement of spending two weeks in detention until he is proven guilty indeed.

But he soon find himself straight behind bars.

The cell was a small box-like room with two steel-made beds on each side indicating Vincenzo had a roommate. Not for long, he thought. In a few days, he will be out of there.

"Who are you?" A bulky man with tattoos all over his body asked as he was pushed into the cell. His eyes were as red as blood and the aura he exuded spelled trouble.

Vincenzo tried to ignore him but when big man grabbed his shirt and pinned him against the wall, he begged God to at least let him survive for the few days.

"I'm talking to you, dimwit."

He struggled to form a word when big man smacked his jaw and he fell with a crash. Pain shot through the course of his veins and that's when the guard showed up.

"You better man the shit up in this sect if you want to live through the rest of your two years sentence."

"Wait...what? Two years? I though the judges said two weeks!"

He rushed towards the warden who was already walking away.

"Change of plans. End of story."