River Lockhart

I awkwardly stand in front of the police station. One of the places that I shouldn't be visiting since my dad is rather the opposite of everything here.

I step into the police station with the speeding ticket and the receipt tightly crumbled between my fingers. A police officer notices me and walks over to me. I have seen him speaking with my father before, but I don't know his name.

"Did anything happen that you need help with?" he inquires with a bit of timidness.

"Umm... actually, I am here for the new police officer. Damian Reid??" I ask him.

"I am sorry. Did he make any mistake to anger you?" he asks.

"No. Actually. He impressed me. I just wanted to see if he's here. Is he?"

"He's the Mobile Police Officer of the area, so he's rarely in the police station. He's situated outside to spot high-speed drivers and to attend emergency calls," he explains.

"Is that so..." I mumble. "So if I want to meet him. He won't be here?" I ask.

"Unfortunately, no. But I can ask him to report to your mansion as soon as-"

"No need. It's rude to bother someone on duty."

I walk out of the station feeling bitter in my mind. The workers and officers walk past me while sparing a glance at me. They all know that I am the eldest son of Lockhart, who's known to be an infamous and dangerous businessman around here. I am also his 'famous' son who won't get anything from him in the future because I am a 'spoiled brat'.

It's so obvious that my father has bent all the officers' heads to his side so that if something goes wrong with his business, he would be able to slip past any punishments.

That's why I dislike the police station. Although standing high as "police officers", they bend their heads to my father. Even to me. Like meek mice, which is so pathetic in my eyes.

Will Officer Damian be the same when he gets to know that I am Mr Lockhart's son?

It's still a question.

~.~

So, just like that day, I visited the police station four times before feeling like giving up.

I meet another officer by the front and give him my paid ticket.

"Would you leave a message for me?" I ask him.

"Sure. What is it?" he asks.

"Officer Damian. Let him know that I paid the speeding ticket," I say.

He looks at the ticket with a puzzled expression, "You didn't have to pay for it. Why did he give you one?" he asks.

"I sped on the road, and he gave it to me. I paid for it a few days back. Can't you pass the message for me?" I ask, totally getting annoyed as everyone's been asking me the same thing for the past few days.

"I will-I surely will do."

So I walk out of the police station, still haven't seen that officer, wondering if he's actually not an officer here.

One week passed after handing the speeding ticket to that officer.

As I am in bed watching Netflix, I realise that I am kind of thinking about that strange police officer. I shift on my bed and rethink for the umpteenth time.

Why the hell am I even bothered about this whole thing?

Well. It isn't really a mystery why he intimidated me.

I like guys. He's hot.

It all makes sense.

But on the other hand... maybe I just liked how he looked. That's why I am too engrossed in this situation.

Or maybe the fact that he was indifferent and not like the other police officers I'd met before. So I find him a bit interesting. I have no idea what it is all about. All I know is that I've spent a lot of time looking around for him these days.

But he does have a big attitude.

I usually hate people with big attitudes like him. So maybe if I see him one more time, I'll be able to know which part of him intimidates me a lot like this. Is it his hot-ass body or the way he looks when he's mad? Or the fact that he didn't give a fuck about what I was trying to say and offer(money)?

My phone rings and I notice the caller ID. It's my dad's wife, and I have no idea why she's calling me a week after the horrible dinner night. I contemplate whether to pick it up or not. My guts tell me not to.

But the last time she called, she informed me about my dad's birthday. So this time might also be something regarding an occasion. So I pick it up.

She laughs as she speaks, "River. It took you a while to pick up the phone. Were you going to decline the call?"

I roll my eyes at her words though she cannot really see it, "You got it right. What do you want?" I ask.

"Your dad didn't want to invite you... Because you made a scene last time, you know. Plus you still haven't apologized to him for ruining his birthday. He was really excited that night to have dinner with his family." she says.

"There wasn't a family. His wife is in the graveyard." I mumble.

I hear her release an exasperated sigh, "Look, I just want to invite you to the gender reveal party in the morning. Many people are going to show up, and it would be good for you to show up as well," she says.

"Oh. Wait, what?? Gender reveal?" I ask.

"Yeah. I am pregnant, didn't you notice?" she asks.

As if I look at her anyway, "No." I say with a frown. I can't believe that the old man is having a child with this woman. After cheating on my mom after two years of my birth and giving birth to my step-sibling... Now I am having another sibling. This isn't something I should be celebrating about.

"So. Will you come?"

"Like hell, I would! I would gladly come to his funeral but not to a fucking gender reveal party. Julia, do you think he would treat your son fair and square? You should know after seeing how he treats me!"

"He doesn't treat Chase badly. It's all because he dislikes how you act. And your mother," she whispers.

Silence rings in my ears, and it becomes too loud. I clench the phone and speak through gritted teeth, "Don't make me murder you at your gender reveal party."

"Come on. That's the truth," she laughs. "It was his idea to have this baby as well. You can't blame me now about anything, alright?"

As much as I don't want to believe Julia's words, I feel like it isn't wholly a lie either. My dad might've actually made the decision.

"Tell the old man that I am not sorry for ruining his birthday." I decline the call after saying that.

I get down from the bed and walk out of my room, too annoyed to rest back and watch the movie.

The penthouse that I live in seems a bit too big to me as I stand by the door while looking around at the empty halls and rooms. It always gives me the chills when I remember that I am the only person living here. It has been like that ever since my nanny passed away three years ago and my dad married Julia. I detached myself from them and asked to live separately.

My friends are the only people who come to this penthouse, and my dad has never been here even once. Not that I wanted him to come here.

Damn it, I should go out for a drink.

River Lockhart

I walk out of the apartment complex and walk into the nearest bar to have a drink. I make a call to Lucas, but he doesn't answer.

Assuming he might be doing something at the moment, I sit by the bar and take a few shots before someone sits next to me.

I look at the stranger and notice that he looks my age.

"Alone tonight?" he asks as he looks through the menu of drinks, a sign that he's not a regular here.

"Yeah. What about you?" I ask.

"My girlfriend dumped me," he casually replies.

I just nod at his words, but he starts telling me the whole story. I listen to him because I have nothing else to do. I watch the spots of light against the walls while I listen to him talk with a hint of exaggeration.

It makes me wonder why he was with that girl in the first place. Because of the facts that he says, it seems like she was a complete bitch. Maybe I see him as the innocent one because I haven't heard the girl's point of view on this incident.

"Hah. Anyway. It's so boring. Should we do something fun?" he asks, moving close to me and whispering. "The best thing to do when you are down is to get into some trouble."

"What kind of? And how do you know I am down?" I ask.

"You look like that. Anything happened with your lover?" he asks.

"I guess so..." I lie, not wanting to share anything with a stranger.

"Let's get into some trouble. Come with me."

"What kind?" I ask as he pulls me out of the bar. I stumble past all the tables and stop in front of the bar, feeling a little lightheaded.

The neon lights outside the bar make my eyes hurt a lot. So I look aside and look at the stranger, finally noticing his features. His hands are covered in tattoos, and he looks a bit handsome, though not my type. He has closely clipped hair, which doesn't suit him that well.

I notice my surroundings rotating and the floor blurring in my vision. I know that I am really drunk, and my consciousness is fading away.

"Vandalism is nice when you feel sad. Wanna try it? Or should we make a scene in public?" I hear him ask. I don't reply because I feel like puking. My throat feels bitter and I feel so hot in my stomach. I think my insides are burning due to the strong alcohol.

We walk through the streets at a slow pace and enter a store. I stand by the entrance with a ring in my ears and a knot in my stomach. I notice the store blurring in my vision, but still, I see the scene opening in front of me.

This guy, the stranger I met in the bar, simply walks to an aisle in the store and randomly starts throwing everything off the shelves.

"What are you doing??" I notice the only worker in there, a woman, walks up to him and tries to stop him.

He pushes her away and kicks the shelves a few times until all the things in them fall on the ground. The worker shrieks and asks him to leave as soon as possible before she calls the police on us.

I realise that it's kind of getting out of hand, so I walk to him and pull his arm, "We should go. This isn't fun." I say in my drunk state.

He doesn't listen to me and starts to throw the beer cans to the ground. He makes a complete mess out of it, and I notice the worker dialling the police emergency number. I look at the entrance of the store and feel like I should escape right now before I get into more trouble, which would result in more stress in my mind.

So I walk toward the entrance only for the worker to shriek and yell, "Don't touch me!"

I turn back with wide eyes and notice this idiot man reaching for her. Damn it, what did I get myself into? I just can't run away after keeping a pervert with this woman who's alone in the store!! But the police will arrive any time soon, and I will become a suspect in the incident as well.

I walk to them and try to pull him away from the woman.

"What the fuck are you doing, dude?!" I yell at him. "This is not fun!! Let go of her!" I yell at him, trying to pull him away, only to get shoved aside. I get shoved to the wall behind me and hit my head a little before falling against the ground.

"Damn it..." I mutter to myself while holding my head and trying to get a sense out of my blurry vision.

That's when I hear the police sirens.

My eyes widen in surprise. When I look up, I notice the idiot guy that I had drinks with at the bar immediately letting go of the woman and running out of the store. It leaves me against the wall, drunk and hurt as ever, and the scared woman in the middle of the room.

The police car stops in front of the store, and that pervert is long gone.

Damn it, I am fucked up.

I look to my right and notice a police officer walking out of the car.

My vision becomes clearer, and I become sober when I notice Officer Damian Reid walking into the store.

My throat literally goes dry when I see him there.

He notices the woman in the middle of the store with a scared expression and tears streaming down her face. Then he notices me on the ground.

Oh no.

He quickly walks to the woman and shows her to the back of the store, where she can collect herself from what just happened. I notice the way he strides to her and how his lips twitch to give a little assuring smile to show that she's safe.

Damn. My police officer looks really hot tonight, just like the last time.

Shit, he saw me like this.

I get onto my legs with a groan. My head hurts like hell due to the damn hit, and I cuss that man in my mind.

As everything's sorted out and the woman is safe, I try to walk out of the store while holding my head. But I get pulled from behind by Officer Damian. He looks so mad, and his forest green eyes look darker than the last time I saw them.

He tightly holds me by my hair. "Where do you think you are going? You are under arrest. And you will tell me who the other person is," he says in a prickling cold voice before turning me around and pressing me against the wall. He pulls back my arms and cuffs me from behind.

"Wh- what? I didn't do anything!" I exclaim.

"I saw your pal running away before I came. You should cooperate and tell me his identity." Officer Damian says in his cold voice that I feel a chill down my spine.

"I don't even know him!" I quickly turn around and look at him. He looks down at me with a hint of disgust, and when I say it, it hurts me. It hurts a lot!! Ahhh! I don't want him to look at me like that! Man, he looks at me like I am the most disgusting person he has ever seen!

"Tell your excuses at the police station," he says.

Oh no. If he actually takes me to the police station, he'll get into trouble, not me! All the police officers there know my father, and they will do anything for him. If they notice Officer Damian taking me into the station, cuffed like this, they would eliminate him or, worse, discharge him from his services. I am aware of the dirty things that can happen.

"I am telling the truth." I struggle as his hold on my shoulder hurts, and I look at him, expecting him to believe my words.

"Do you expect me to believe a drunkard?" he asks.

My lips part in surprise. What's worse than getting rejected by a hot man? This is! Getting arrested by him and getting a disgusted look, and then being called a 'drunkard'!

This cannot get any worse.

Involuntarily, I feel a lump in my throat, but I quickly shrug it away and look away from him. He drags me out, but then he stops. He looks back at the store and seems to contemplate something. I realise that he's wondering what to do because he cannot leave that woman alone in the store.

I look where he's looking, toward the aisles, but something else catches my attention.

"Cameras," I say.

"What?"

"Check the CCTV!" I look at him with a frown. "What kind of a police officer doesn't look at the evidence?!"

Damian Reid

River... Lockhart. What more am I supposed to expect from a brat who sped up to 100 miles on the road? And a brat who used his father's identity to escape the law? A brat who tried to throw his money at me, and finally, who was at a crime scene.

But looking at the CCTV footage in front of me. It's a whole other incident.

River comes in with another guy, but he only remains by the door while the other one acts aggressively. He even tries to stop the other guy from ruining the goods and harassing the store worker.

The girl, now wearing a thick jacket around her body, replays the scene with a shaky hand. She looks dishevelled and scared after being harassed by a pervert.

Before anything, I asked the girl to call the store owner as she required someone to take care of her. After asking her to kindly show the footage, she claimed that this brat right here was not responsible for anything.

I didn't want to believe it, but here it is...

I step back and fold my arms on my chest. Then I look at the brat who's in the corner of the room where I asked him to stay. I sigh and walk up to him. Then I take out the key and uncuff him. He really is innocent.

And I will be lying if I say that I didn't want him to be innocent.

I actually didn't want him to be any part of this whole thing because, in a certain way, he reminds me of my old version, stubborn and always getting into trouble. But he's not exactly like me. I actually used to do a lot of bad things. He looks innocent although getting into a lot of trouble.

"Give your statement to the police station regarding the man you met in the bar. This is a serious thing. We can't have a pervert on lose." I tell him.

He caresses his wrists where they have turned a bit red due to his pale skin. He doesn't reply but looks away. Then he sighs, "An apology will be good, you know." he mumbles.

"   "

"You literally handcuffed an innocent guy."

I roll my eyes at his words, "So you met this guy at a bar?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"Which bar?"

"Night Shade-" he gasps and looks at me with wide eyes.

"Thought so. After going to an illegal bar when you are not yet twenty-one, are you trying to teach me the law? I admit I cuffed the wrong guy."

The doors open and the storeowner walks inside. I let him know what has happened and River tells him about the other guy and how everything exactly happened. I take the CCTV footage evidence to a pen drive and walk out of the doors to my car.

I look back at River whose face looks flushed as he's drunk.

"I want you to be present at the police station tomorrow morning," I say with my hand on the door handle.

"I can't be there. I have to attend a gender reveal party and murder someone," he mumbles.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"How about the evening?"

"Fine. I'll be there," he says with a little bit of arrogance in his voice. I turn back to the car only for him to hold my arm. When I look at him, he quickly loses the grip on my arm and nervously looks down.

"Your phone number?" he asks.

"What?"

He clears his throat, "I mean- there might be like- Um... you know. I want to know when you catch that man. Also to confirm when I will be coming to the police station and stuff." he clumsily gives me his phone.

I take his phone and type my phone number away. When I hand his phone to him, his eyes light up and I notice that his ears have turned a bit red. He's really drunk.

"Stay away from trouble. You can't expect to escape the consequences every time you do something illegal." I remind him as I get into the driver's seat.

"Oh, yes!" he quickly says. "Aren't you going to do anything about- about me going to the bar?" he asks with his eyes widening in confusion.

"Last chance."