Destiny's POV
"Are you serious? This is ridiculous! You can't take me to the police station; I am not a criminal, for heaven's sake." I said as I tried to get away from a police officer who put handcuffs on my wrists.
"Relax, Ms. Ganzon," the officer responded as he assisted me.
"How can I relax when you are arresting me without grounds?" I asked, and he only chuckled.
"Am I under arrest for what crime?" I asked again.
"Yes, Ms. Ganzon, you are under arrest for assaulting your sister. I was nearby and saw what you did to Ms. Carmie. I have seen the blood gushing from her forehead, and she needed to be brought to the hospital." He replied, and my eyes widened in shock.
"Excuse me, that insane woman is not my sister. If you had seen what happened, you must know I didn't do anything to my step-sister." I loudly yelled at him, and he shook his head and eyed me with scrutinizing eyes.
"You have the right to remain silent," the officer added and pushed me with so much force that I almost stumbled on the hard cement.
My stepmom was grinning from ear to ear, and my step-sister was waving her hand, sharing the same smile with her evil mother.
"How much do they pay you, officer?" I asked after he shoved me to the backseat of the patrol car.
"Watch your mouth, young lady, or you will have another violation; you better call your lawyer now," he said before shutting the door, and my entire body quivered as coldness blanketed my whole frame as the reality of what just happened sunk in.
My tears blurred my vision as the police car drove away from Lucas's building. I promised never to cry again, but what happened a while ago was something I didn't expect to happen in my entire life.
Riding in a police car with handcuffs made me realize my life turned upside down. I wished my father didn't marry again; I could have stopped their wedding, but seeing him smile again after my mother's passing made me support him all the way.
Dad was miserable for one year; he hardly got out of his room, and most of the time, he stayed at his office late. Then, he started drinking, which freaked me out, but when Carmen showed up one day, his gloomy face turned bright again, and I had never seen him so happy after my mom's death.
They only dated for one month, and then my dad married her, which I considered odd, but I didn't want to be a hindrance to my father's happiness, and I was sure my mom would understand.
My stepmom and her stepdaughter didn't show their true colors during our first encounter, and they tried to win my affection by making me special. I felt so happy to have them in our family, and I welcomed them with open arms, but after the wedding, I was shocked as they started making my life miserable by plotting different schemes against me to make my father angry.
On my eighteenth birthday, I was so furious when I saw Carmen burn my mom's memorabilia, including her photos, which I kept in one of the rooms of our mansion.
I didn't know where Carmen got the key. I earned bruises that day from her slaps and kicks. I curled into a ball in my bed and sobbed the entire night, calling my mom, hoping she would appear and tell me everything was all a dream.
My father looked unaffected after I told him what his wife had done.
"Did you call your lawyer already?" The officer who arrested me asked, and I returned to the present and wiped my tears.
I didn't answer him, but I had no choice but to call the last person I wanted to ask for help, my ex-boyfriend, who wished not to see me again.
"Hi, this is Atty. Galvez. I am currently unable to answer your call at the moment. Your call is important to me. Please leave a message, and I'll get back to you." My call was forwarded to his voicemail, and I sighed as I leaned on my seat, feeling hopeless.
Calling Daria is not a good idea, as she might panic. But I didn't want her to worry about where I was. I needed a best alibi to answer why I was late or couldn't go home. I needed to text her before they confiscated my phone.
The police officer driving the patrol car was eyeing me from time to time in the rearview mirror while the one who captured me, who was more well-built than the other, kept turning his head, ensuring I was still in my seat.
"Do you think I can escape?" I asked sarcastically when I couldn't take it anymore.
"Princess, don't be so sarcastic; anger doesn't suit your pretty face. We can settle this one here without going to the precinct. We are willing to listen to your offer." The officer on the passenger's seat declared, and my eyes blazed with anger.
"We heard you are the legal heir of Alejandro Ganzon. Do we need to name our price?" He asked, and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"You are a police officer and are expected to uphold the law with integrity. Corruption is a big crime. I couldn't believe I would hear something like this," I replied angrily. His laughter reverberated throughout the entire vehicle, and it took him a while to stop laughing at me.
"It was easy for you to say something like that and accuse me of being a corrupt public servant. You live all your life like a princess; you don't know what it is like in the real world. You don't know how hard it is for us to make ends meet without having debts." He defended himself.
"You are so lucky that you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth." He added.
"It doesn't mean you must ruin your morality by extorting money from innocent victims. There is nothing wrong with living with debt as long as you can pay it. Someday, you will pay the price of your evil-doing." I insisted, and his face darkened as he darted a glance at me.
"Being idealistic will bring you nowhere, Princess. We are near the police station now. You have to decide, or else you will end up sleeping in a cell tonight." The officer responded with a taunting smile, which made me cringe on my seat.
"I have nothing to offer you," I bravely said as if I could escape from them freely.
"Well, your fate is decided then; why don't you call your father?" He asked as he turned his head and looked at me again in the same manner.
"My dad has nothing to do with this," I responded, trying to control the shaking of my legs.
"Okay, good luck with that; I assumed you haven't contacted your father's lawyer, too. You and your stepmom and step-sister are technically a family; I couldn't understand why rich people like you love destroying each other." He declared, and his companion chuckled while I furrowed my forehead without responding to him. I remained silent until we reached the station.
"Let me go! You don't need to hold me. I am not running away!" I loudly screeched after I climbed out of the vehicle and dragged me inside the police station, and everyone turned their attention to us.
"You love having a show, huh? Listen to me, you brat; you are under arrest, so you better keep your mouth shut." The police angrily said as he continued to drag and push me to have a seat, only to face my enraged stepmother.
"What took you so long, officer?" She asked, sounding impatient as she darted a glance at me.
"I can't wait to press my charges against this woman," Carmen declared.
"We apologize for the delay, Mrs. Ganzon." The officer replied with a flirtatious smile, which made me grimace.
My stepmother still looked so young and stunning, and the way she carried herself with poise always made men take a second look every time she passed by.
I was looking at her with contempt, and I wished to smash her face because of what she had done to me, but I needed to tame my anger and do the right thing.
I didn't need her pity, but being detained in jail was too much. I am innocent, but they are making me look like a criminal with these handcuffs in my hands.
"Carmen, I didn't do anything to your daughter, and you know that, please, drop your charges and let me go," I begged,
"Ha! Now, you are appealing to me as if I will listen to you. How dare you put a scar on my daughter's beautiful face." She responded with fury.
"Carmie is now in the hospital escorted by a police officer to ensure everything is documented," Carmen added.
"I knew you had been envious of your step-sister since I married your father, and you will do anything to ruin, Carmie. We are family, but your greed made you a bitch, and you accused us of being social climbers and users." She added in a raised voice, which made my eyes turn so big that I could not believe she was reversing the truth.
"That is not true; I never said those things!" I responded, shaking my head.
"Liar! You wanted to get rid of us by accusing your step-sister of hideous things, and you didn't stop until you physically hurt her, even though a police officer was nearby and witnessed your crime." Carmen continued, and the officer nodded in agreement.
"You will pay for your crime, Destiny, and you will rot in jail since you have no money, and no one out there will bail you out, not even your own father." My stepmom declared.
I would never win against Carmen without help, but no one is willing to help me except the well-known playboy in the country, Lucas Villentiz.
My whole world collapsed on my shoulders when the officer pushed me inside the prison cell as I listened to Carmen's triumphant laugh in the background, enjoying my defeat.