A few hours ago…
"I have the right to hire a lawyer! I'm going to sue you, assholes!" Louis shouted behind bars and tried to grab the police's hands that were locking the cell.
"I won't let you off!" she screamed and kicked a fuss. Her toe hit one of the bars, sending a jolt of pain through her nerves to her brain.
"Oh… oh…" her moans of pain filled the cell, and she bent to touch the poor big toe. "Huhuhu… I hate you Mr. Police officer!"
The officers laughed at her antics as they shook their heads. One of them took out his baton and smashed it on the bars, creating a sharp, grating sound. Louise flinched as she stepped farther from the iron bars.
"Behave yourself, how dare you attack a senator's son?"
"So what?" Despite trying to act brave, her confident front shattered because of her choking voice. "They didn't make the law."
"Law? Power and money is the law. If you have that, we can probably let you go."
Louise frowned as calmly sat on the floor at the corner, hugged her legs, and stared at the officers moving around. They didn't even look at her, or at the other cells with other people.
Fortunately, Louise stayed alone in her cell. The station bustled with people even though it was deep into the night. Taking out her phone from her back pocket, she scrolled through her contacts.
Mom…
Dad…
Jasmine…
Lea…
Franco…
Alex…
Names appeared on her screen, and she stared at her parent's phone numbers. Her thumb hovered over it. Things would be easier for her if she called them, but the disappointment and nagging that would follow was going to be unbearable.
Also, if they found out, they would surely dig up whatever happened in her life during the past years. Of course, her parents kept tabs on her, but she had many things she needed to hide.
Like the racing championship. Her parents finding out about her racing would be a disaster. They would stop her from doing what she loved and forced her to do something she didn't like.
She had many friends, but they were all over the world, so she couldn't possibly ask for help from them. Her only choice would be between Alex and Lea.
The former always helped her whenever trouble knocked on her door, but involving him every time would lead to more problems. As for Lea, she was both her secretary-cum-manager and friend.
Lea managed her racing career, so the best choice should be her. But there were times she was hard to reach. Frowning, Louise chose the latter and dialed her number.
Fortunately, her phone rang, but no one picked up after a few rings. She was about to hang up when a muffled voice came from the other line.
Louise listened, and a man's voice reached her ears. The man groaned, and Louise's face blushed. A maiden like her hadn't encountered anything so r-18! Her parents raised her as a conservative person.
"Lea!" she screamed in frustration. The urged to hang up, pushing her to just forget asking for help.
"What?" Lea answered. "Don't you know what time it is? Please, don't tell me you're in trouble…" Lea trailed off, a bad premonition rang in her ears.
She's in trouble, right? Lea asked herself, biting her lips.
"Did you forget that the international racing championship is just right around the corner?" Lea snapped. Insanity threatened to consume her as she racked her brains. What should I do?
"Reputation matters! How about the offer to be an ambassador? You said to me you want it?! If your image stinks, how can you get it? Didn't you want to surprise your parents and make them proud? What the hell are you doing right now?"
Lea spewed words non-stop like an automatic machine gun, and Louise stayed silent.
"I beat up a senator's son!" Louise said.
Lea let out a violent gasp, almost fainting on the spot. "A senator's son?! You dare? God, Louise, last time you almost got involved with the mafia! Aren't you going to learn from your mistakes? Do you want me to die early? I swear to God, I'll resign if you're only going to kill me like this!"
Another lengthy speech, and Louise felt like dying from her constant nagging.
"I'm sorry…" she murmured, trying to appease her. "I need your help…"
"As much as I would like to help you… I'm out of the country!" Lea said. "I just left earlier. I have a life, you know? My boyfriend is here and we're having fun. How can you disturb us?!"
Irritation scratched Lea's heart. She really wanted to spend time with her beloved.
"Are you flaunting that I'm single?" Louise shouted, grimacing. "I might be single, but I'm not miserable. What am I supposed to do?"
Before she received the answer, static echoed in her ears. Louise cursed wildly, and because of that, the police officer confiscated her phone.
"How am I going to call anyone if you get my phone? Hey!" No one listened to her, so she got tired and slept on the floor until daybreak.
Then, she managed to borrow from a policewoman and made a call to the person she didn't want to involve the most after her parents: Axel.
*****************
Alex carried Louise to the car. The driver rushed to open the car door, and Axel placed her on the leather seat. Silence ensued inside the car. Louise didn't talk and so did he.
The driver forced himself to stare only at the road, and not be curious about the two.
"Would you care to explain to me how you got into this mess in the first place?" Axel asked in a stern tone.
"You sound like my father," Louise said. "He always speaks to me in this tone. Your way younger than him. Do you think you're my dad?"
Alex's face blackened, and the driver thought he would throw the lady out of the car. But to his surprise, his young master only gritted his teeth in anger.
"Don't force me, I'm not in a good mood…" Alex told her.
"Did you step on poop or something? Or perhaps did I interrupt your good time?"
Alex sighed and shook his head. "I can't talk to you at all. You never changed."
"Hey, why do you keep saying that? Many things have changed!" Louise declared. "You're the one that's impossible to talk to."
"Please…" Alex's brows scrunched together. "Don't lump me with you!"
"Hey! Am I that bad?" Her face contorted in pain as if she suffered a great grievance.
Louise moved closer to him as she wanted to grab his collar, but the car swerved to the side, and she ended up falling off the seat.
To make things worse, her face was now on his crotch area. Oh my God! Louise shouted in her mind. The embarrassment was killing her. How can I stand up?
"Are you trying to take advantage of me?" Alex asked.
"Who is trying to take advantage of you?" Louise moved really fast and sat in her place, but a bit farther. "Don't come any closer."
"Why?" Alex asked, moving closer until his warm breath brushed against her face.
The driver who witnessed everything said to himself, "I'm still here, and I'm single! Please don't kill me with your sweetness!"
Also, he couldn't believe that the infamous young lady of the Archer family could go toe to toe with his boss.
"Stay away!" Louise pushed Alex, but her hands lacked force. His hard muscles brushed against her fingertips, and electricity traveled from the tips to her heart.
Her eyes widened a bit, and she stuck herself in the car door.
"Don't worry, you're not my type," Alex said, grinning, then he sat at the edge of the leather seat. They turned silent, no one dared to speak.
She sneaked glances toward him and thought about their engagement. They should talk about it sooner or later so cut the marriage agreement.
"Alex—" Before Louise could say anything, his phone rang, and he answered it.
A woman's voice echoed and traveled to her ears, but her words weren't clear. Alex and the woman talked for a while with mostly Alex saying yes or no.
"Carson, stop here." The car stopped near the intersection.
"Why did you stop?" she asked, curious.
"Get out," Alex said.
"What?" she sounded aghast. "Are you saying you want me to get out in this heat? Are you crazy?"
Then she recalled the woman on the other line earlier.
"Is this because of the woman from earlier?" Anger coursed through her body. "You're doing this to me because of that woman? I'm your fiancée!"
Alex frowned and stared at her. Louise felt like a tiger was staring at her, ready to eat her alive.
"Can't I say that?"
Alex sighed. "This has been going on for a long time, and to be honest, I'm getting tired with all this pretense."
"What do you mean?" Louise's heart palpitated in nervousness.
"Let's break up the engagement, Louise. Let's end this farce."