Chapter 7: The Clash of Wills

Chapter 7: The Clash of Wills

Kathleen’s P.O.V

My auburn hair fell around my shoulders, hiding my face from view from the other inmates. For hours, I sat here in silence, as tears streamed down my face relentlessly.

Why was I being punished for things I didn’t do? And the charges pressed against me weren’t simple ones either.

 My eyes were red-rimmed and tired, and there were dark circles underneath them. I was still wearing the clothes I had been arrested in, even though they were wrinkled and stained. It had been many hours since the incident, and I was beginning to lose hope of leaving the cell. Maybe the man I met was right when he told me that I was going to stay here for a very long time, given that the man in question was wealthy.

"She's going to end up with a splitting headache, tired and weak if she doesn't accept her fate." The oldest of the inmates said to the other two whose gazes were equally on me.

"I cried too. She'll learn, she'll accept her fate, she'll adjust. She has no reason to be dramatic." The youngest inmate, who had appeared to be innocent at first, responded in a cold tone.

From behind the curtain of my hair, I observed the trio had had appeared to be in some kind of gang, but after hearing their words and realizing that they had been observing me all this time, I didn’t feel any kind of hostility from them at all. Maybe they weren't so bad, after all.

The lights went off inside the room, and I heard footsteps approaching. Looking up from my miserable position, I focused my gaze on the door, my eyes resting on four men and a woman. All of whom I recognized almost immediately.

There was the man who got me arrested, dressed fancy and in an executive suit. Next to him was my mother who was visibly shaken by the whole incident and could pass out at any time. The policeman who had adamantly refused to hear me out led the way, his gun was in his pocket, a baton in his palm. My best friend, Cole, was the last one beside them and he looked at me with a worried expression.

My face went pale when I saw the man who had put me in prison. There was no sign of remorse in his facial features, but his hazel eyes did look like a turbulent storm barely contained. I couldn’t read the emotions behind them, but I didn’t want to either. Just the fact that he was here in the room with me, meant that there had been some kind of development in the case.

"Miss Kathleen, you're free to go! We are so sorry for the mix-up. As always, we carried out our investigations and we realized that we had the wrong person.” The policeman spoke in a regretful tone. “We are so sorry that you had to be in here for so long. On behalf of Mr. Dalton, and myself, I apologize sincerely for the misunderstandings." 

The policeman opened the door and held it open as I rose from my sitting positing, my legs a bit wobbly as I was now declared a free woman, liberated of all charges.

From beside the policeman, I saw Cole look around with a pensive look on his face, especially at my three inmates who now observed the entire situation with narrowed eyes. Cole took a step forward, his eyes worried as he tried to ask if I was okay.

I simply nodded, pointing to their hands to tell him that they were all cuffed. Even I was cuffed once again before I had been forced back into this room. Now, I gave my hand to the policeman who set me free and permitted me to walk out of the cell, leaving my fellow inmates surprised and probably a little jealous.

The whole time, I couldn't stop staring at the man because of whom I had to end up in such a scary place. He looked like a typical prick that was too used to power and money. His clothes screamed luxury and his eyes were cold and unyielding. I had to admit that he was handsome, but I was too angered to note any of the key features that defined him.

"I'm so sorry for the mix-up once again, Miss. Kathleen. We have checked the cameras and found the real culprit." The policeman continued speaking as we reached the front office that was still bustling with activity. “We will find the woman who tried to abduct the little girl, but as of now, you are free to go.”

I hadn't even moved an inch since I got out of the cell. I was beyond enraged and felt my hands ball at the side because of all the injustice that I had just endured. And I think my mom and Cole noticed the change in my behavior.

"I'm glad this whole thing didn't take too long. I'm happy that you're out, and I'm happy that you're innocent." My mom spoke quickly, holding onto my arm as if she knew that I was at my wit’s end and might be prone to causing a scene.

"Shall we leave?" Cole asked as he came to stand beside me, taking hold of my other arm. Both of them seemed to be monitoring me, trying to stop me from doing something stupid. It seems they knew me all too well.

The man in question, however, remained impassive. Briefly, I saw his eyes go to Cole’s fingers around my arm, before his head rose to meet my eyes.

Instead of the apology I expected from him, Arthur keenly looked at me like I was a bug he was examining under a microscope. I could see the distaste in his eyes even from where he stood. He looked at my hair, then my skin, down to my ragged jeans, pausing to observe my polo shirt too. The whole time, he said nothing, quietly judging me as if I was the dirt beneath his feet.

Rage welled up inside of me as I watched him turn his back at me then, as if he meant to leave the scene.

Was he seriously planning on leaving without an apology? Just like that? After everything that happened? How audacious was this fucker?

"Excuse me!!!" I yelled at him, causing him to pause mid-step. "Mr. Dalton, I think you’re forgetting something here."

Slowly, he turned to look at me, a frown on his face. I noticed how both my mom and Cole had suddenly frozen beside me, their expression pensive, just as the policeman’s mouth fell open at my own audacity.

However, I continued to speak, regardless of their reaction. "You harassed me without making sure if I was actually the guilty one, and you wish to leave without even apologizing? After all the humiliation I just went through?"

Arthur Dalton remained impassive. His eyes narrowed at me once again and he placed his hands inside the pockets of his dress pants, not even bothering with an apology or showing any kind of remorse.

Was it really so hard to admit that he was wrong? Wasn’t he a father? What kind of attitude was his daughter going to have if the father was like this?

However, his impassive nature just made me even angrier as I jerked my arms free from my mother and Cole and marched over to that man, standing toe to toe with him and meeting his eyes unflinchingly as I met him head on. "Mr. Dalton, I saved your daughter. If I hadn't intervened, she would be somewhere in the den of those kidnappers who would probably be leeching money off of you as we speak. But instead of thanking me, you threw me into jail. Do you know the implication of this, sir?”

“It is because of people like you that people all around the world are afraid to get involved with what is just and righteous. Because instead of appreciation, innocent people get thrown into jail, just because they have power and money!” I snapped. “And you know what else you did? You gave me a criminal record. In my little community, scandals spread like wild-fire. Virtually everyone would have heard by now that I had kidnapped a child. My reputation is ruined! You also cut my chances of getting a high-paying job ever again, because who would want to hire an ex-convict? Well, what can I say? Thank you for your kind gesture!"

“Easy there, ma’am!” The policeman tried to intervene, but even he couldn’t deny that I was telling the truth.

“Easy? For what exactly? For stating the truth?" I snapped at him too, causing him to recoil with a wince. “You know as well as I do that everyone will now look at me like I was some kind of criminal! And guess what? I don’t even have the money to buy people’s favor like he does. So I guess I’m doomed anyway!”

"Easy there!" There was finally a little bit of remorse in his voice as he finally decided to speak up for himself. "For starters, you do not know anything about me. You do not know my past, nor do you know why I reacted the way I did, especially when I found my only daughter, bleeding and unconscious, in your arms as you tried to hail a cab. That's grossly unfair for you to judge me by my behavior right after I caught up to you during such a crucial time. Don’t you think so?"

Maybe he had an experience with people who attempted to take advantage of his kindness before. Maybe his wife's death had left him traumatized and seeing his daughter so vulnerable had triggered such a reaction. Maybe I was overreacting. All of these were probable, but I was very sure of the fact that he treated me unfairly and I wanted an apology."Just as unfair for you to throw me in jail without knowing if I'm truly guilty. Don’t you think so?"

"Fine!" He threw both hands up in defeat. "I understand that this might tarnish your image, so I assure you that the police would not give you a bad record of any sort. I will personally see to it. And I apologize, Miss. Kathleen, for not carrying out proper investigations before detaining you, even though I caught you with my daughter." He gave the most fake, dismissive apology I had ever heard. "I hope that clears things out. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

With that, he shuttled out of the station, not turning to look at me a second time, making me feel incredibly stupid that I had even saved his girl.

 "Fuck you!" I shouted after him, my hands balled by my side as I saw him exit the room regardless. "That’s supposed to be a fucking apology?”

I was trembling with anger, my whole body coiled tight like a spring. If possible, I would’ve slapped him right across his face right then and there. But just my luck that I was in the middle of the police station and that would’ve been considered assault and I would’ve been sent to prison for real this time.

 "Easy, Kat," Cole’s soothing voice reached my ears as he placed a hand on my shoulder calmly. "Let's leave this place. We should be grateful that he released you and even agreed to give you a clean record. Most wealthy folks don't care what happens to their victims."

"Yes," my mother agreed eagerly. "At least he promised that your image would not be tarnished for any reason. Don't pick a fight with the wealthy, it's impossible to win them, love. Please…let’s just leave."

I said nothing more to either of them. I walked ahead of both my mom and Cole to the door, relishing my freedom and eager to get home and soak myself in a long shower.

However, if there was one thing that I was sure of in my mind, it was the fact that I never wanted to see the face of this bastard ever again.