Chapter 2

Jane had spent the entire night at the station, sitting helplessly on a hard chair inside a locked cell. She waited, desperately telling herself that someone would come for her, maybe her father, or Greg.

Each time she heard heavy footsteps approaching, Jane lifted her head, her eyes shining with hope and her heart beating fast. But again and again, no familiar face came by. When the clock ticked down to a few minutes before midnight, Jane breathed out heavily.

"They'll come tomorrow," she whispered to herself. "Dad wouldn't leave me here."

Morning arrived quickly. An officer unlocked the cell and motioned for her to step out.

"Interrogation." Jane followed without a word.

Inside the room, another officer sat behind a dented steel table. An empty chair waited opposite him. Jane caught a quick glimpse of her reflection in the glass window behind the officer before she sat down.

Her makeup was smeared, her eyelids swollen from lack of sleep. The beautiful dress she had worn with pride to the gala the night before was now wrinkled. Even the perfume she had sprayed so carefully had faded away.

For several minutes, they stared at each other in total silence. Neither of them blinked first. The only sound in the room was the ticking clock behind her.

Finally, the officer opened the thick file before him.

"You still claim you know nothing about the illegal drugs moved through Vale Corp?"

"Yes."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I've never seen those products before."

The officer slid several photographs across the table. Boxes, shipment records, purchase orders, bank transfers. Every document carried Jane Vale's name. Several carried her signature.

Jane picked up one photograph, then another. Her breathing slowly became unsteady.

"No..." she whispered. "This isn't mine."

"The drugs were packaged as beauty supplements," the officer said. "The Cosmetics Department handled them."

"My department mainly focused on fragrances," Jane replied quickly. "The Assistant Head of Cosmetics mostly handled creams, serums, and supplements."

"Your assistant?"

Jane nodded. "My younger sister, Lila Vale."

The officer wrote something down. "When was the last time you personally met suppliers?"

She frowned as she tried to remember. "About two months ago. After that, I only approved the purchase book. My assistant handled the orders."

He looked back at her. "According to our investigation, every legal purchase list had another hidden list attached to it." Jane stared blankly.

"The hidden lists contained illegal drugs. They also carried your signature."

Jane squeezed the papers in her hand as she clenched her fist. "I didn't sign those."

"The offshore account receiving the payments is also under your name."

She looked up sharply. "What?"

The officer pushed another document toward her. She stared at it. There it was, her signature, her name, her account. Everything pointed directly at her.

"I didn't do this." Her voice cracked. "Please... believe me."

The officer sighed. "I don't decide who is innocent, Miss Jane. I only follow the evidence."

Jane paused, her lips parted. She wanted to say something, just anything, but no words came out. Silence settled between them, and she lowered her head.

For the first time since her arrest, doubt crept into her heart. Someone had planned this carefully. Every document, signature, and transaction led to her without any error.

'Who could have done something like this?' She pondered.

A knock interrupted the silence. Another officer stepped inside, holding out a phone. He handed it to the interrogating officer who took it and listened quietly.

"Understood."

He returned the phone and slowly closed the file. When he looked at Jane again, the hardness in his eyes had softened.

"Miss Jane," he said, his tone suddenly much softer. "You have been granted bail."

Jane blinked in utter shock. "Bail?"

"But you must report here every single day until the investigation is concluded,"

Confusion washed over her. Who would suddenly arrange her release? Then, relief followed almost immediately.

'Dad. It had to be him. Maybe he couldn't help her in public, but he would never abandon her completely.' She thought.

The officer removed the cuff from her wrists and led her outside. "Please, follow me."

After signing several forms, Jane stepped out of the station. Fresh morning air filled her lungs. For the first time in hours, she felt she could breathe again.

Her eyes searched the street, and surely someone would be waiting—her father, mother, Greg, or anyone. But only strangers hurried past, her heart ached, but she had to be strong. They must have their reasons.

She reached for her phone and called Greg, there was no answer. She tried again, and it went straight to voicemail.

Trying to stay calm, she opened her banking app. A notification immediately appeared.

ALL ACCOUNTS FROZEN

"No..." Jane froze.

Her fingers trembled over the screen as she refreshed, but the same message appeared. There was no way she would walk to the Vale Mansion. That's like a five-day walk. Then, she remembered her emergency account.

Years ago, she had secretly opened it in case something unexpected ever happened. No one in the family knew anything about it.

Relief escaped her lips. "Thank goodness."

She crossed the street to a nearby bank, withdrew enough cash for the day, and climbed into a taxi.

"The Vale family mansion," she told the driver.

As the taxi pulled away, Jane rested her head against the window. Everything would be explained once she got home. Her father would know what to do, and Greg would finally answer her. They would clear her name.

The taxi turned toward the familiar road leading to the Vale mansion. Jane closed her eyes for a brief moment. Finally she was heading home.

She had no idea that by the time she reached the home she had been longing for, she would lose the only family she had ever known.