Dominic cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing in the sterile interrogation room. "So, Xavier," he drawled, his voice smooth as oil. "Are you ready to confess everything?"
Xavier didn’t flinch. "I’m not confessing to anything because I haven’t done anything."
Dominic followed the script and said, "Every criminal says the same thing."
Xavier’s lips curled into a mocking smile. "Then you should call Maximilian back, since he is the one who committed the crime."
Dominic’s face darkened, his fingers tightening into fists. "Watch your tone, boy," he growled. "Or I’ll make sure you regret it." He leaned forward, his voice a low threat. "This is an interrogation. I can beat you. I can break you. And no one will care."
Xavier didn’t react. "Why are you saving your son?" His voice was calm, as if talking to a kid. "You know what he’s done. Shouldn’t you, as a father, try to discipline him?"
Dominic’s jaw tightened as he let out a sigh. He reached for his device, pressing a button to mute the recording. Then, his voice was low, almost weary. "Maximilian is my only son. As a father, it’s my duty to protect him from any harm and danger."
Xavier’s expression didn’t change. "There’s something wrong with your parenting."
Dominic’s eyes narrowed. "Look," he said, his voice shifting, almost pleading. "You’re still a kid. If you confess, the process will go smoothly. You might get a lighter sentence. A few years, at most. But if you don’t, then, you will be in trouble and you may spend your entire life here."
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I’m doing you a favor. You’re the same age as my son. I don’t want to ruin your life."
Xavier didn’t buy it. He’d already pieced it together—someone had paid Dominic to kill him. And through Maximilian, he’d confirmed it was Lucas’ grandfather.
Xavier matched Dominic’s energy, his voice cold. "Stop the act." His gaze locked onto Dominic’s, unflinching. "You’re not here to help me."
Xavier’s gaze flicked to the box on the table, his voice calm. "Is my phone in there?"
Dominic’s fingers twitched as he reached for it, opening the box with deliberate slowness. "Unlock it." His voice was a command. But he thought to himself— "Since all electronics are protected by law, I can’t use other means to open it, otherwise the higher ups will know about it through the phone company."
Xavier took the phone, peeling back the plastic wrapping. His fingers moved swiftly, unlocking it with a flick of his thumb.
Dominic lunged, snatching for it—but Xavier yanked it back.
"Give it here," Dominic snarled. "Even if you call someone, it won’t work. The prison jams everything."
Xavier ignored him, his thumbs flying over the screen.
Dominic’s patience snapped. He grabbed the phone, wrenching it from Xavier’s grip.
The screen froze—a video, paused mid-frame.
Xavier’s voice was a taunt. "Play it."
Dominic scoffed, tossing the phone aside. "I don’t have time for games."
Xavier’s smirk didn’t waver. "You might regret that."
Dominic’s fingers curled into fists. "My job is to threaten, boy." He snatched the phone back up, jabbing at the screen.
The video played.
And Dominic’s face was drained of color.
The screen flickered to life—Mira, her face pale, her eyes red-rimmed. The camera was shaky, the footage raw. She sat on her bed, her voice trembling but clear.
"I’m recording this because I have to." Her breath hitched. "Lucas Blackwood. Maximilian Hart. Leonardo Kane. Ethan Sterling." Her voice cracked. "They r*ped me."
The camera panned—her body, her torn clothes, the bruises blooming like rot on her skin.
"I filed a complaint with my parents and Kael— my boyfriend. We went to the police." Her laugh was hollow. "And a few hours later, some people came to our house with my boyfriend and offered them a huge amount of money to take their complaint back and change the name of the culprit from Lucas and his friends to a classmate named Xavier."
She wiped her face, her breath shuddering. "I begged them not to. But they didn’t listen and agreed to their offer after seeing so much money." Her voice was a whisper. "I was devastated. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted justice. But I knew it would never happen." Her laugh was bitter. "My boyfriend— who I thought loved me, agreed to change his testimony and he took the money and a scholarship. My parents— who gave birth to me and raised me, also took the money and a high figure job." Her voice was raw. "They sold me."
"Since my life was destroyed and no one even cared for me, I decided to take my own life." The camera shook as she exhaled, her voice trembling. "I was about to kill myself. Then you called." Her gaze locked onto the lens, her voice soft. "When you said that you wanted to talk to me about what Lucas and his friends did to me, you gave me hope. But I knew nothing would change since you were helpless and being bullied by them too." Her smile was sad. "I don’t want to ruin your life. So I’m recording this— my final statement, so you can use it to prove your innocence. I won’t send this video right away, but put it on a timer so the video reaches you tomorrow morning when you are at the academy."
"Xavier." Her voice was a whisper. "I am not doing this to get justice. Getting justice in this money-cursed world is impossible." Her breath hitched. "But I want you to know—there are still good and kind people, like you. People who want to help, like you wanted to help me." Her voice was raw. " So don’t ever give up hope and end up like me. Survive this cruel world and let them know what real pain feels like. Destroy them and dye the world red with their blood." Her voice was a snarl. "Burn them and let their ashes paint the world black."
The video ended after that and the screen went dark.
Dominic was baffled and left speechless.
Xavier fixed himself in the chair, his gaze locking onto Dominic’s.
"You’re fucked, son of a bitch." He cursed without realizing.
Silence.
Then, Dominic’s voice was a whisper. "You planned this."
Xavier’s smile was a knife. "Every second."
"Now," Xavier cracked his knuckles, seemingly copying what Dominic had done before, the sound echoing in the silence. "Let’s start the interrogation, you corrupt cunt of motherfucking cop."