A wrecking Life

The ride to Aria’s shop felt painfully long. The atmosphere in the car was heavy and absolutely silent. No one said a word. I kept trying to see through the dark glass, straining my eyes, but it was useless.

A million thoughts were running through my head, but the one that kept screaming the loudest was “ I need to see his face.” I needed to confirm if he was really Aleksander aka the Mr. Billionaire from Aria’s phone. My curiosity was driving me insane. But there was nothing I could do. He didn’t turn around, didn’t speak, and neither did the guards sitting on either side of me.

All I did was quietly tell them where her salon was. And that was it.

What felt like a never ending road trip suddenly came to an end as the car parked slightly away from Aria’s shop, probably to avoid drawing attention. With a simple gesture of his fingers, he ordered the two guards to get out. They obeyed immediately, stepping out and closing the door behind them.

For a second, I felt a wave of relief wash over me now that I was alone in the backseat. But that feeling quickly twisted into anxiety because now I was terrified about what they were going to do to my sister. My nerves started kicking in hard, and I think he noticed. He gestured again, this time to the driver, who rolled down the divider glass.

He looked at me through the rearview mirror, still wearing those dark shades. I could only see half of his face through the reflection, but the jet black hair… it matched. Just like in the photos. It was probably him.

I stared at him through the mirror.

“You need to relax,” he said, his voice low and calm. “It’s not time to be nervous. Not yet.”

Then he paused, as if to let it sink in.

“Although… you will be, a few minutes from now.”

His accent hit me differently this time deep, crisp. More British than the sharp Norwegian tone I’d expected.

His words sent shivers down my spine. I couldn’t even speak. That’s when it really hit me, we were definitely in serious trouble.

Just then, I saw the guards returning with my sister between them. Aria looked terrified, completely lost. As they got closer to the car, Mr. Billionaire gestured through the window for them to take her to the other SUV. He stared at her with a strong expression.

They led her away, but I panicked. I tried to open the door on my left it was locked. I knew she could probably see my silhouette through the tinted glass, and I desperately wanted to reach out to her.

Moments later, one of the guards returned and sat beside me again, and just like that, we were driving off to God knows where.

For a while, I just sat there, numb. I wanted to speak, I wanted to ask something, anything but no words came out. Every time I get overwhelmed and anxious, it happens the same way, my emotions get stuck in my throat, and then the crying starts.

It began as a quiet sob, but it slowly built up into the kind of cry that leaves your eyes puffy and raw. The kind that drains your energy. Tears streamed down my cheeks like a running tap, and the worst part? I didn’t even fully understand why I was crying.

The divider glass rolled down again, and he looked at me through the rearview mirror.

I kept crying. Unbothered, he simply shook his head and turned away, gazing out his side window.

The car stopped in front of one of those tall buildings, it looked like a hotel. A guard stepped out and opened the door for me. Mr. Billionaire was still seated inside. I spotted Aria getting out too, and we quickly rushed toward each other, embracing tightly.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she kept repeating between sobs.

“She’s not part of this, please, leave her out of it!” she cried, but the guards ignored her. They forced us inside and escorted us to the elevator.

I looked at Aria, confused by her words. She gave me a pleading look, a silent request for forgiveness that only deepened the pit in my stomach.

The elevator doors opened to a luxurious suite.

We were pushed into two separate chairs.

“Sit and wait for him,” said the red haired guard coldly.

“I just want you to leave Judi out of this! She has nothing to do with it!” Aria sobbed, her voice breaking.

She looked at me again, eyes full of guilt, as if she hadn’t told me the whole truth.

I stared back with a blank expression, too drained to cry. Everything was sinking in again that I had been betrayed by someone I truly trusted. Deep down, I knew where this was going, but I wasn’t ready to accept it.

Suddenly, the door opened.

A tall figure stepped in, and I looked up to see him.

He looked exactly like he did in the photos, this time even better. Handsome didn’t even begin to cover it. He stood around 6’5”, with a model’s physique and an effortlessly sharp presence. Dark blue eyes, a chiseled jawline, a well groomed beard… He looked like a Norse god. Like the actor who played Loki in Vikings, only far more captivating.

He wore a sleek black suit over a loosely buttoned shirt. Hands in his pockets, he stood in the center of the room, an office, I now realized watching us silently.

He leaned forward, resting both hands on the edge of the desk in front of us. The silence in the room stretched, thick and heavy, as his eyes moved slowly between the two of us. Then they stopped right on me.

I felt my breath catch.

His gaze didn’t waver. It was intense. Cold. Almost studying me. I shifted in my seat, suddenly aware of everything, how messy I looked, the tears I hadn’t fully wiped away, the way my hands wouldn’t stop trembling in my lap.

“Aria Thompson,” he said, voice deep and controlled, like someone who didn’t need to raise it to command a room. He pointed to Aria, but his eyes stayed on me.

I looked away straight at his Adam’s apple , anything but those eyes.

“You’re being charged with romance scam,” he continued, then shifted his hand toward me. “And you… might be her associate. The little sister.”

“Aunt ,” I said under my breath.

“Please,” Aria burst out, her voice cracking. “Leave her out of this! She didn’t know anything, this has nothing to do with her!”

But I didn’t move. I didn’t speak.

Because deep down, I didn’t care anymore.

She had lied to me. Reassured me. Let me fall right into it. And I knew somewhere in my gut I knew it was too perfect. Too smooth. Too fast. The attention, the gifts, the sudden change in our lives… it all felt like a dream, but dreams like that don’t come without a cost.

And maybe that’s on me too. I let myself believe. I let the luxury sink into my skin and the comfort lull me into silence. I ignored the gut feeling telling me something wasn’t right. I was just so desperate for something to go right for once.

So when she tried to defend me now, I stayed quiet. Let her talk. Let her beg.

There was another man in the room. Not a guard. He had a hard face, sharp suit, and a folder in hand. He looked like someone who dealt in facts and consequences. Probably a lawyer, definitely not on our side.

He stepped forward and opened the file.

“Miss Thompson,” he said evenly, “you have been found guilty of manipulating and emotionally coercing an eighteen year-old boy into an online relationship. You convinced him to send you thousands of dollars under false pretenses, claiming it was for medical bills, rent, family emergencies”

“I didn’t know he was eighteen!” Aria snapped, her voice shaking. “He lied to me. I thought I was talking to him—” she pointed quickly at Mr Billionaire . “I thought it was him the whole time.”

The lawyer didn’t blink. “Well, the series of chats here tell a different story. Yes, he didn’t disclose his age right away but he did later. And when he told you, you didn’t back off. In fact, the messages escalated. There’s explicit content, Miss Thompson. You knew what you were doing. And you knew exactly what you wanted from my client’s nephew.”

I said I didn’t want to get involved. I meant it.

But I also couldn’t sit there and watch my sister get charged with something that could land her in jail.

I’m a fourth-year law student. I know our laws well enough, okay not more than Mr. Suit and Tie over there, but enough. And since Aria was clearly trying to defend herself, I knew it was time for me to speak up, too.

I sat up straight in my seat, cleared my throat, and looked directly at the lawyer.

“You do know it’s unlawful to question someone without the presence of their legal counsel, right?” I said, my voice firm. “Why wasn’t this taken to the police? Why wasn’t it made formal? Because as far as I’m concerned, this right here isn’t even a proper interrogation. You’re questioning us without a lawyer present, and without our consent.”

The lawyer blinked, caught off guard by my tone.

“And as for your so called case,” I continued, not letting up, “this is about two consenting adults. Sure, there’s an age gap but the younger party lied from the very beginning. He misrepresented himself. You’re acting like Aria’s the only one who was dishonest, just because she needed money to survive? Really?”

I leaned in a little.

“It’s clear he was into it just as much as she was. He wasn’t some helpless child. He wanted the attention, the relationship whatever it was. So now that he’s embarrassed and his uncle’s money got involved, it suddenly becomes romance fraud?”

I shook my head.

“No. What this sounds like is a spoiled, rich eighteen year-old who made dumb choices and wants to blame someone else for them.”

I let the silence hang, chest rising and falling. I’d said it all in one breath but I meant every word.

Mr. Billionaire stared at me the entire time I spoke, his expression unreadable, somewhere between surprise, disbelief and anger.

He clearly hadn’t expected that from me.

In his head, I was probably just the innocent, soft spoken girl. The one who cried in the car. The one who trembled under pressure. The gullible one.

Well, not today.

I wasn’t going to sit there and let his lawyer walk all over me especially when I knew my rights. I wasn’t just some scared little girl. I was a fourth year law student, and today, I acted like one.

I turned slightly and looked at Aria. Her eyes were wide, her mouth a little open in shock. She leaned over and whispered, “Thank you,” like she still couldn’t believe I’d just done that.

The lawyer opened his mouth to respond but Mr. Billionaire raised a hand, silencing him.

“If that’s the case,” he said, his tone sharp and clipped, “then guards take her to the station. Let’s press actual charges this time.”

He turned and looked right at me. Jaw clenched. Cold.

“And make sure she sleeps there tonight.”

The words hit me like a punch to the chest.

I didn’t know if I’d just made everything worse

or if he was doing this just to spite me. Maybe both.

My body went stiff. My chest tightened. I couldn’t breathe properly.

The moment the guards stepped toward Aria, I stood up and rushed to her. We grabbed each other in a hug, holding on tightly, both of us sobbing.

“I’m sorry, Judi,” she whispered through her tears. “It’s all my fault. Please… forgive me.”

I couldn’t even get words out. I just held her tighter as they began to pull her away.