The Queen They Created

    No matter how Mia tried to convince them with words, none of them seemed to believe her.

She sighed after her failed attempt for half an hour and slid down on the ground, ruffling her disheveled hair.

“You think you can fool us with that puppy face? People with your kind of face commit the worst crimes,” a cop barked at her, hitting his baton on the bars.

Mia looked at him with tears in her eyes but said nothing. She was tired of trying to state her innocence to people who wouldn't believe a single word she said.

“Do you even have proof that I own the bag? Have you tried to ask yourselves if that bag was planted in my room?" Mia suddenly spoke up as the cop turned to leave.

He stopped walking and swerved around, a smirk creeping into his face.

“Your neighbors said they saw you with the bag," The man retorted and Mia's heart shrank.

She dug her fingers into her palm as she fumed in anger. Those people knew nothing about her and hardly behaved like she existed, but they didn't hesitate to state her.

“Those hypocrites!" She spat in disdain, folding her fist.

“You don't have to waste your time looking for more lies. We have your underling with us…" the man paused and ducked his head in between the bars, a mocking grin on his face.

“He was the one who ratted you out," he muttered her eyes in shock.

"C-can I see him?” Mia whispered in a shaky tone, gripping the bars as she staggered up to her feet.

The cop jerked up and twitched his lips in disgust, scoffing loudly.

“Can't believe that an inhumane being like you cares so much about an underling," the cop muttered and trudged off, leaving Mia's hope hanging on a thread.

“Hey, I want to know who set me up! Hey!" Mia screamed at the top of her lungs, clenching hard on the bars.

“Stop the noise already, bitch! In the end, you'll have your agents get you out of here anyway!" A woman in the cell room snapped, glaring hatefully at Mia.

Mia didn't listen to her snide comment nor did she think about it as she kept screaming for the man that made her take a fall for a crime she knew nothing about.

“I can't believe that I got to see the ruthless Mafia queen of the underworld before I'm sentenced. Guess the heavens is a bit gracious to me for that,” another woman said, laughing loudly and showing off the gold teeth she had on.

“Hey, Maria, is she truly the underworld Mafia Queen everyone has been searching for?" A woman beside her asked.

"Yes, she is. I'm very sure she's going to get out soon and have plastic surgery done to change her face since the cops here have seen it,” the loud woman said again.

“I heard someone saying she acts suspicious and doesn't talk to anyone. She's indoors all the time and barely laughs," a woman gasped.

"Yes, that is how they behave they will never let people know their true color.”

“But what if it's a lie—" 

"Let's make a bet, she's never going to go to court nor get sentenced. She's going to get out through her numerous connections,” the loud woman said again.

Mia, who had stopped screaming and was listening to their conversation, widened her eyes and spun around, staring at them in shock.

“What are you guys talking about?" She groused.

The women cringed and the loud woman chuckled darkly.

“Chill, mama, I'm no enemy!" The woman said and the other women in the cell room burst into laughter.

“You don't want the queen to have your head blown up in jail, do you, Maria?” The woman beside her asked, fear darting across her eyes as she glanced at Mia's angry face.

“Are you all referring to me as the mafia queen?" She muttered, filled with confusion and anger.

The women exchanged glances but said nothing. Fear seemed to be scribbled across their faces as they looked at her.

Mia couldn't understand the reason for the fear in their eyes but she was happy that they didn't repeat those words.

She was finding it hard to deal with the false accusation glaring at her; another accusation could kill her.

“Mia Campbell?" A voice growled outside the cell and she spun around, her eyes lightening up with hope again.

The bald, huge man standing at the gate stared at her in disbelief and scoffed.

“So, you're the hidden Mafia queen the force has been looking for?” he mumbled, and Mia's eyes dimmed in confusion.

“What do you mean?" She whispered.

The man opened the gate and waved her out without an explanation for his confusing words.

Mia reluctantly walked out of the cell and began to trail after the huge man.

“See? I told you they're going to take her out soon," Maria muttered to the other women, confusing Mia, too.

As they walked along the corridor, Mia received weird stares and whispers from the staff and officers in the station.

Some of the officers held knowing smirks, some held glares, and others had shocked expressions on their faces.

Mia felt goosebumps wash over her skin at the amount of stares she received. At some point, she doubted if she would easily get out of this trap, especially with the weird title people were throwing at her.

The man got to an interrogation room, pulled the door open, and then waved her in.

She hesitated and looked at the man, her head tilting to the side in question.

“What about the underling?" She asked.

"Get in,” the man bluntly replied.

She sighed and walked into the room, then sat down in the chair beside a table, aware of the cameras watching her.

She picked on her nails with her head dropped down in fear as she waited for whoever had set her up.

A thought of who it would turn out to be always made her heart skip countlessly.

As she waited, she thought of who it could be. Perhaps, Christina, her co-worker would find any reason to hate her and turn people against her. She had recently threatened to kick her out of the department store and make her life miserable.

“She's the one. I'm pretty sure of it," Mia muttered, fuming in rage.

The door opened and a man walked in, holding a jotter and a ballpoint pen.

He smirked sinisterly and grabbed one of the chairs in the room then slumped down across her.

“Hey, Miss Mia Campbell… if that is your real name," he muttered and Mia scoffed.

"Were you with my parents when I was named?” Mia snapped, getting impatient.

He chuckled and shook his head, opening a page in the jotter.

“So… how long have you been working undercover?" He asked and Mia scoffed.

"What do you mean by that?" Mia asked.

The man chuckled darkly and adjusted his spectacles before looking at her again.

“You don't have to keep acting clueless, Mia, everyone knows that the unknown Mafia queen is you,” the man said.

Mia sighed loudly after hearing the name again.

“Where in the world did you hear such news?" She snapped.

"Your underling said that himself!” The man groused.

Mia banged her clenched fist on the table, huffing loudly in anger and frustration.

“Who is the stupid underling that said that?" She screamed.

The man chuckled and looked at the door then tapped on the microphone on the table.

“Bring him in, Joe," the man called out.

Mia sighed and straightened up, ready to attack whoever the person was.

The door opened and two men walked into the room.

Mia looked at the face of one of them and realized that he was a police officer. She turned to look at the other man with him, but the moment she did, she felt her breath cease.

“Justin?" She whispered in a grave tone and the man looked at her, his eyes holding no remorse or fear.

Mia staggered back, her eyes as wide as saucers as she stared at him in horror.

“You-you did this? You are the underlying?" She whispered in a cracking tone.

Justin’s brows raised in a vicious smirk and he nodded.

“Yes… boss."