"Have you lost your mind Richard." Pandorra said in an empty voice. She was tired, haven't had a proper sleep since that day.
Richard sat in front of him. Conflicted, frustrated. "I have no choice."
"If you're going to do this I'm leaving. I'm abandoning this case." Pandorra did not like the idea of using Paris as a 'mascot' of fear. "You're just doing this for your position, aren't you?"
Richard stood up. "Her apartment is one floor higher here, right?" Pandorra nodded. She did not care to stop Richard.
Mr. Leaf arrived at her room, the police stood outside. He knocked.
Paris opened the door immediately.
"I have something to tell you." Paris invited him to the table. He was just in time, Paris was brewing tea as he knocked. "The city is in shambles. No one's taking this seriously."
"What do you mean?" She was confused.
Richard was out of words. He doesn't know how to do this. "I want you to be a symbol. As a victi–"
"Wait what? No. Sir Richard no." Paris poured the tea on her cup. She did not bother to give even a drop to the cup in front of her. "Sir, I just want a peaceful life. I was never a victim. It seems like you want me to use as a 'mascot' of public fear."
She was horrified of what Mr. Leaf told her. It was so sudden, so unusual. And of course, she's never doing it for him.
"I understand." Richard's frustration grew. It started consuming him.
"I'm really so–" Penelope froze. The cold metal in front of her, and his fingers on the trigger.
"You leave me no choice." Richard withdrew his gun. "I know everything about you Paris." Richard's stern voice did not echo. It had a moving force.
"You never had a Father. A mother addicted to heroin, brother committed suicide." Richard poured himself tea. "You've lived a very terrible life,"
"I'm not going to do it for you." Paris felt helpless. She's holding back her tears.
Richard did not want to do it. He has no choice. He thinks this is his one last chance, or he dies the next week.
"I'm sorry but you really leave me no choice." A hint of rage that stemmed up from his frustration left a mark as he spoke.
He pulled the trigger, aiming just at the side of Paris' head. Her hair followed the trail of the bullet's swift.
Petrified. She held onto her breath, her eyes widened. "I can order the police outside to kill you in no time. And no one will know."
2 days after, Paris appeared on TV as a saint. Pandorra knew what Richard had done. And she can't do anything about it now.
"He tried to choke me. His blade felt cold against my cheeks," Paris' eyes showed fear. She looked at the camera with an expression of great fear. Richard was watching.
"I was near my death. And I'm so blessed that the police had arrived quickly."
Everything was a lie. Her tears, eyes, her every breath is now a lie.
"I want everyone to know that this killer might look like a normal person. A person with scars, pretty eyes, flowing hair or not. Maybe he's friendly and kind, but I hope y'all won't trust anyone these days,"
"Please don't just trust anyone these days. He is among us."
She was a golden sheep. Everyone's eyes were on her. She was the headline, the nation's flower girl.
And she was somewhat forced to become an activist.
The mayor was delighted to see that. The power he holds right now, he's very happy of it. The only thing he needs to do now is to get Percy's head.
Fear. Fear is the most powerful weapon. Something which the mayor and Percy both believe in.
"Swordtail," he called. "Does Pandorra possess a lot of information regarding that killer?"
"Yes. I was on her apartment at the time of his recent attack."
"Yes I heard that from Richard." Wilbur analyzed the situation deliberately. "So this killer was involved in the investigation? He made it inside?"
"Yes. Percy Night."
The mayor chuckled. "She made a big mistake." He considered this a blessing in disguise. "Kill Pandorra. We're taking over."
Richard heard this. He was about to open the door to his office, but he heard Pandorra's name.
Killing Pandorra was the last thing the mayor would want to do. That was Richard's calculation.
He miscalculated.