This chapter is dedicated to jazzymm77 for all your comments and the support. It's greatly appreciated <3
"Devin's been arrested."
I freeze, unable to process her words.
"What?" I exclaim as the tears on my face gradually dry off.
"I just found out from Stalon," Yara reveals, equally petrified as I am, "I heard he was arrested at his club hours ago for getting into a stupid physical fight with some gang leader."
"Where the hell is the police station?" I demand between erratic breaths.
"I'll text you the address," she alerts before disconnecting the call.
Once the address is sent, I waste no time copying it to the GPS navigator on the vehicle's touch screen.
I dial the number of the police department next to find out if Devin's bail has been granted by a judge.
Upon learning the bail amount, I stop at the bank for a quick cash withdrawal before rushing to the police department.
Unconcerned by my decision to exceed the speed limit, I arrive at my destination minutes later.
How could he be so reckless?
For a businessman, Devin often fails to make smart decisions, putting his reputation at risk.
Police vehicles are the first things I see as I dash into the lobby of the police department.
A few patrol officers are positioned behind their desks; making reports back to back.
I scan the area for any traces of Devin but to no avail.
Impatient, I march towards the nearest desk of an officer before plonking the duffel bag of cash in my hand.
"I'm here to release Devin Kashmir," I announce in a sharp tone which causes the bulky officer to shift his irritated gaze to mine.
"Show me some ID," he orders; his southern accent traceable in his gruff voice.
In seconds, I comply before he swings his gaze back and forth from the ID card to me.
This officer is losing my patience more by the second as he takes his sweet time processing the information displayed on the card before typing on his desktop.
"What relation do you have with the accused?" he interrogates.
"I'm his sister,"
The policeman stares patronizingly at me which causes my blood to boil.
"Mam, your brother is faced with very serious charges," he insinuates as if I'm not already aware of that, "The first is an assault for causing real physical harm onto the victim in public. On top of that—"
"Look officer, I'm already aware of the charges so warrant his immediate release," My impatience causes the words to escape me in rapidness.
The more time is wasted, the higher the chances of Devin's claustrophobia being triggered.
The belligerent expression on his face doesn't intimidate me the slightest.
The officer finally does what he's supposed to as he requires me to sign some documents related to Devin's bail.
After counting the multiple bundles of cash, he escorts me to another hall where the holding cells are located.
A mixture of exuberance and anger all seek to fight for dominance once I detect Devin who's sat on a bench behind a cell.
The bloodstains on his knuckles cause me to remain stationary.
His locks mop his forehead as he stares at the concrete with sagged shoulders.
His uncoordinated movements are a hint of his drunken state.
After the officer unlocks the gate, he addresses Devin, "You're free to go but next time, you won't be so lucky."
Devin gradually lifts his head before he grows cognizant of my presence.
He appears lifeless and when he's usually like this, he tends to be far away from reality and can go out of his way to not speak to anyone for days.
Once he arises with great difficulty, he steps out of the confined space.
"Here, hold onto me," I state, refusing to take no for an answer after invading his space.
Although Devin is reluctant at first, he ends up caving as he encircles his arm around my shoulders to support his heavyweight.
"He's required not to contact the victim for as long as necessary. Additionally, he must show up to all the court dates enlisted on the document I gave you," The officer indicates.
Before we leave, he warns, "If he doesn't attend court, his charges will increase and you'll be held responsible."
Although bail conditions are the last things I want to hear right now, I know their magnitude.
Therefore, I will ensure Devin gets to follow these rules accordingly.
All I can smell is his unpleasant alcoholic breath as I'm having to drag him with all my strength to my car outside of the station.
By some miracle, we're seconds away from approaching the vehicle.
I unlock the door of the passenger's seat before Devin ends up entering without my assistance.
Once at the driver's seat, all I can feel is a rush of emotions as I reflect everything that has occurred in 24 hours.
How can I even look him and my parents in the eyes when I tell them Lolita was involved in the money laundering business?
It doesn't help that I'm to keep this information to myself because I know there's no one in my corner to tell me everything's gonna be okay.
Rubbing my temples in tiredness, I close my eyes to somewhat prevent the impending tears from falling.
"Start the car already before I get a migraine," his slur tone causes me to shift my dark penetrating gaze to him.
His eyes are slightly shut as he lounges on his seat without a care in the world.
I clench my fists, rage possessing me to snarl, "What the hell were you thinking to indulge yourself in a club fight when you just started a new business?"
His lack of response doesn't have the power to stop my rant, "Every day with you is like a hurricane Devin and I've had it. Has it ever occurred to you I have problems of my own to deal with? But you don't seem to care because all you do is pick fights with everyone including people who did nothing wrong to you—"
"Dammit, that retard shamed Lolita's image by calling her a slut. Was I supposed to stay quiet and not defend her honor?"
His outburst causes my eyes to widen.
Rage is what causes Devin to hit the dashboard with his fist before his fingers form a dome around his face.
"What. . .who is this guy?"
Devin's silent.
"Some worthless pig from her high school who she dated apparently," he discloses seconds later in a grim voice, "so I'd say he got what he deserved."
So on top of laundering money, Lolita was also involved with a gang leader?
It's as if I barely knew her at all with these revelations now coming to light.
Since my parents forbade us from dating to focus on school at the time, it seems Lolita and I were never upfront to each other about our love lives.
While I kept my relationship with Ludovic a secret, she did the same.
But could the guy she dated know anything about her involvement in the money laundering business or better yet introduced her into it?
There's only one way to find out.
I immediately text this information to detective Landford so he can do a background check on this gang leader.
"Do you remember his name?" I question which causes Devin's brows to furrow.
"No," he responds in a suspicious tone, "how's that relevant?"
Sighing in fatigue, I say, "You'll find out soon enough."
Impatient to wait for the police report, I redial the police department's number to find out his name.
Once the information is provided, I forward it to Detective Landford.
As I start the car's engine, worry drives me to say, "I'm sorry for assuming. I just need you on my corner right now, that's all I ask. You have no idea of the huge weight I carry on my shoulders day and night to find out who killed her."
My voice cracks as I can feel my emotions express themselves in the form of silent tears.
"I have no one on my corner and it sucks. Where's the Devin who used to be my rock? Where did he go?" I can barely keep it together as I can feel myself trembling, finding it more difficult by the second to utter a word.
"All you do is pick fights or drink to death. I need the old Devin to come back to me. Please come back to me. . ."
As I'm having a silent break down, Devin doesn't say a word as he avoids my gaze by staring out the window for what seems like an eternity.
He shatters me into a million pieces when he says,
"It's too late for that because he's long gone," his cold tone does nothing to help the situation, "he died the day she did."
I don't know how long we stay in silence because whenever I find myself experiencing very heartwrenching moments like the current moment, time ceases to exist as the grueling emotions take their rightful lead.
Maneuvering the car into the road, I'm left to deal with my sadness alone despite him knowing, he's fully the cause of it.
༄ ༄ ༄
I end up doing some outdoor jogging for it helps me to clear my head.
After an hour-long jog, I find myself gasping for air at a park with sweat engulfing every inch of my skin.
I turn off my music once notified of another text message alert on my phone.
Knowing who it is, I plan to switch off the device but pause upon reading the following.
Good News. My dad's heart disease is being regulated and the doctor says he'll be discharged in a few days. Thanks for giving me hope when I had none.
— Unknown
Although I'm glad there are some positive improvements in his father's health, the same can't be said for Mrs. Devereaux who's been detained in her house for the past weeks under similar circumstances.
And I feel like crap for not exhilarating to the happy news with him.
It's at this moment I realize, I'm mentally not in a stable headspace to keep engaging with Theo because my life is a never-ending turmoil of pain after pain which I don't want to dump on him.
Knowing I'll never be able to share my burden to anyone, I don't see how this can work.
I send him a quick text to acknowledge his message.
Just when I think the convo stops here, he goes on to send :
Is it safe to call?
— Unknown
My lack of response is probably what induces him to call first.
Despite wanting to ignore the call, maybe talking to him will facilitate my decision to just end this.
And so begins our second phone call after I accept his call request.
"Hey, wanted to thank you personally. I'm so glad his condition wasn't as critical as I thought,"
I squeeze my eyes shut upon hearing how extremely happy he sounds compared to the solemn tone he used the first time we spoke on the phone.
It's not your responsibility to feel guilty. Your company comes first and it's always gonna be Varos.
"I didn't do anything, no need to thank me," he probably wasn't expecting my cold tone because he remains silent during a painful awkward span of seconds.
"Did something happen?" he queries in worry, "you don't sound like yourself."
Heaving a deep sigh, I release the words that have been imprisoned within, unloading myself of their heavyweight.
"Something always happens to me daily, it's nothing new. Look, I'm glad your dad is getting better and I really mean that." I begin in a haste, "But this thing between us, whatever it is has to stop. Varos is my top priority and I could face so many problems once the directors find out we've been interacting.
"I had a temporary moment of weakness and I'm sorry for not clarifying my intentions sooner," I pause to choose my next words carefully, "but this can't continue."
Silence reigns for what seems like an eternity.
Concluding he may have ended the call, I get the surprise of my life when he argues,
"Dammit, you're shutting me out again after everything."
Shaking my head as though he can see me, I urge, "Theo—"
"No, I'm not gonna let you do this again. It's obvious something terrible happened and you're keeping things bottled up while taking the easy route by ending things. Anaya, I don't know what happened but you can't ask me to end things when you need someone right now."
"I don't need anyone don't you get it?" I yell at the top of my lungs, the words escaping me in a sudden before I can suppress them.
The unshed tears arise, causing me to curse under my breath.
"I've never needed anyone and I don't see how it can change now," I do my best to filter the hoarseness in my tone, my best attempt at sounding presentable.
"So don't you dare tell me that because it's always been me to face shit on my own."
He doesn't say a word from what I'm guessing, his way of allowing me to let things out before I explode again.
After hearing a few faint sounds on the other line, Theo reveals,
"Despite having friends, you were the only person I reached out to about my dad's condition," he trails off in a calmer tone of voice, "When it felt like I had no one at my corner, you were there to let me know things would be alright. And it turns out you were right."
Hot tears continue to stream down my cheeks as he says the words.
"So please, let me return the favor by being there for you. You don't have to face whatever it is you're going through alone. Even if I'll take the role of a friend, nothing else matters anymore."
Even if I don't say it, his words mean a lot as they manage to calm my erratic mind.
The only word I can muster is a silent,
"Thanks."
"Anytime."
Before I can end the call, Theo alerts, "I do hope to see you at the World Cup soon. I think it'd help take your mind off things and you'll get to witness a legend in the making."
I snort at his cockiness, "Don't push it."
"Yeah, too soon."
I end the call.
༄ ༄ ༄
Months pass before the globe's biggest sporting event begins.
After many preparations were made, I end up making a business trip to Malaysia where the tournament is being hosted.
Since Malaysia has been one of Varos' toughest markets to generate a profitable influence, this business trip will undoubtedly create a backdoor for my company to also dominate in the Asian market.
Thoughts of Lolita's case have also been preoccupying my mind.
The impatience to find out who could've murdered her is at the top of my priorities.
Additionally, things between Tatianna and I these past weeks have 'almost' gone back to normal.
Needless to say, something still tells me to act cautiously around her because my trust in her has been shattered.
Despite her excessive sweet regards towards me as of late, nothing can erase the past.
Yara keeps saying I befriended her out of pity.
As time passes, I begin to realize she may have been right.
However, I still decide to attend the final match with them, not wanting Tatiana to have wasted the tickets she paid for all of us.
"Italy has to win," Yara mouths next to me knowing if she yelled, it'd be impossible for me to hear her in what appears to be one of the biggest stadiums in the world.
The stadium comprises thousands of spectators from all around the world who came for the same objective :
Witness history about to be made.
The current match is a showdown between Italy and the Netherlands as each player from opposing teams stand in a horizontal line to sing their country's national anthems.
The high volume in the stadium is unreal.
Loud echoes derived from chants manifest in the form of powerful vibrations.
Many spectators wave their country flags in the air to support their team whereas others are filming the event with their devices.
True to his words, Siam Lars carried his team to the final round of the World Cup.
Despite previous predictions of Italy's semifinal elimination by commentators, Italy proved why they were not to be underestimated resulting in Norway suffering a 4-0 loss.
The hunger for the title is evident in all of the players' eyes especially Siam and Theo.
Grand projectors are displayed at the top of the stadium to help highlight important moments of the match.
As soon as the referee blows the whistle, players sprint across the football field for a chance to gain possession of the ball.
"Italy!"
"Netherlands!"
"Italy!"
Are the dominant chants of the hour as spectators are desperate for the team they support to score a goal.
The players remind me of vicious jaguars all sprinting towards a common target in a bloodbath.
Since Yara, Tatianna, and I have front row seats to the match, it feels surreal witnessing everything unfold.
Theo proves why he's one of the greatest players to play the game due to his unbelievable speed.
And getting to witness this for the first time is twice as special.
All his past training sessions prove their effectiveness because thanks to Theo's alien speed, Italy shows to have the upper hand as the number of passes executed between its team players is greater than the Netherlands.
Half an hour passes with each team unable to score their first point but I have hope Italy will pull something out of their hat to pull a win.
Once the ball is in Theo's possession, the adrenaline in my veins is unlike anything I've experienced before.
Theo tries with all his might to race towards the opponent's goal area but there's only one thing that stands in his way.
Siam Lars.
As Theo races to the net, the goalkeeper guards it with extreme vigilance.
It doesn't help Siam and other defenders attempt to block Theo's path by monitoring his every move.
Everything happens in a flash.
As soon as Theo can gain possession of the ball, he swings his leg backward as high as possible to execute a powerful shoot.
Silence temporarily befalls the crowd as everyone monitors the speeding ball in great attentiveness to determine its landing.
Everything happens in slow motion as the ball plunges to create a hollowed hole in the net; escaping the tip of the goalkeeper's fingers who collapses to the ground in a nanosecond.
"GOAL!"
The crowd goes completely wild as the Italians all race across the field before performing a group hug.
It's hard to focus on the devastating expressions on the faces of players from the opposing team because Italy now has the upper hand.
Yara and Tatiana both squeal in excitement as they engulf me in their arms thereby making their happiness contagious.
"What a legend," Tatianna screams the words in my ear and down goes my hearing ability.
But her words prove to be true.
The celebration lasts a few minutes before the players refocus their attention to the game.
The animosity in Siam's eyes is apparent on the screen projector causing me to feel somewhat nervous.
With only 10 minutes left until the interval, all Italy has to do is secure their point by preventing the Netherlands from scoring.
However, something way beyond what anyone could've predicted occurs.
As two opposing team players battle for possession of the ball, one of them tackles their opponent which advents his brutal collision with the ground.
Many gasps can be heard in the crowd as the referee instantly blows his whistle.
The player who was viciously pushed by Siam Lars looks severely injured as he squeezes his eyes shut, unable to move from the ground.
I may not know much about football but that looked like a violation.
Upon assessing the player's state, the referee raises a yellow card in the air as a sign of warning which angers all of the Italian players.
Some of the spectators generate loud 'boos' as a form of disapproval.
From the looks of things, Theo seems to be in a very heated argument with the referee as some of his teammates encircle the commotion.
All the referee does is fold his arms in nonchalance with his whistle secured between his lips.
"What's happening?" I yell to Yara since she knows more about football than I do.
"Siam just committed a serious foul and instead of giving him a red card to expulse him from the game, he received a yellow card."
Her revelation is enough to anger me as well based on the referee's unreasonable decision.
The argument between Theo and the referee escalates before the latter ends up raising his arm above his head.
This magnifies their furry as the boos in the crowd augment.
The referee maintains this position for a while as all of Italy's supporters are fuming at this point.
As I watch the scene unfold before me in great confusion, I'm thankful Yara helps to explain the situation.
However, once she narrates the case, I end up wishing I was oblivious :
"The referee just granted the Netherlands an indirect free-kick which increases their chances at scoring a goal."
༄ ༄ ༄
I hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I initially wanted to post a double update but I wanted to post this chapter soon to take the time to thank each and every one of you for the support. Seriously, it means the world to me.
Thanks to you guys, the BIAIQ now has 43K+ reads and ranked #5 in the New Adult category. None of this would've been possible without you guys.
I'll do my best to post the new chapter before the end of the week so be on the lookout.