Chapter 2 Con-Artist

I was almost in a panic as I typed a message to her, but the man snatched it from me and forcefully threw it out the window.

My lips parted in shock. I blinked and spoke.

"What the hell?!" I blurted out in surprise.

However, no response was directed towards me. His focus remained solely on the road ahead, leading us towards an unfamiliar destination.

I allowed my gaze to linger for a moment. Up close, he appeared even more handsome. His chiseled features seemed to exude a striking perfection, and those lips were undeniably captivating.

A lump formed in my throat as I observed his jaw move. He then retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and pulled out the Bluetooth headset from the dashboard to make a call.

"How's Florisse?" he asked in a calmer tone.

"Alright, please take care of her for now. I'll call you later." After ending the call, he drove with a serious demeanor.

As we arrived at the precinct, my back instinctively straightened in the car seat, preparing for what lay ahead.

"W-What are we doing here?" My mouth stuttered nervously.

He only glanced at me. My breath was knocked out of my lungs as I looked into those dark, stony eyes.

"I will make sure you'll pay for all of this."

He gripped my arm tighter as he led me inside. Despite the curious stares, I met everyone's gaze with closed eyes.

"This woman crashed into my wedding day. I want to file a lawsuit against her for scandal and defamation," he told the police.

My eyes widened at his words.

"What? No, I'm not a bad person!"

"You really are, miss?" He raised an eyebrow at me and clenched his jaw tightly.

"What happened?" the chubby policeman asked me.

I immediately swallowed my tongue and couldn't speak. Should I admit that I just went to the wrong wedding? But if I do that, I'll surely end up in trouble.

"I want to file a case against this woman. I want her to rot in jail and never get out!" He spoke firmly and loudly to the police, looking directly at me.

I bit my lower lip. I bowed my head because I couldn't bear his scrutinizing gaze.

"What do you have to say, miss?" the policeman asked me as he typed on his typewriter.

I had no choice but to make up a story. Brace yourself, Rosario, when I get home.

"I'm pregnant! He is the father of my child! He planned to leave me and our child and marry another woman!" I said without hesitation.

"What? No!" I saw the shock on the man's face and the clenching of his jaw at my words.

Damn it, Natalia. It seemed like he wasn't buying my excuse, so I forced myself to cry while speaking.

"He plans not to take responsibility for our child." I cried.

"What? You're a damn liar!" he growled. I almost fell off my seat due to the intensity of his gaze.

The policeman shook his head at the man and continued typing.

"I'm not lying. This is my evidence, sir!" I retrieved the pregnancy kit with a positive result from my sling bag. Rosario gave it to me in case of any unexpected situations. I had more positive results in my bag, so I took them all out to make my act more convincing.

"What? I barely know this woman and I never laid a finger on her. I just saw her now!" His eyes were almost red with anger as he spoke to the police.

"One night stand! We had a one night stand!" I said loudly, even though I could hardly breathe from the overwhelming guilt I felt.

"Fuck!" He immediately stood up and ran his hands through his hair.

"Sir, it seems like this woman is telling the truth. You might even get charged if you insist," the older policeman said.

"No! I want you to send this woman inside that cell. I don't know her!" He pointed towards the nearby bars.

"I want to file a case against him too," I said in my trembling voice.

"Fuck!" I heard his curse loudly.

Damn it, Natalia. What trouble have you gotten yourself into now?

"Okay, miss. What's your name?" he asked.

"Natalia Punongbayan, sir."

"How old are you?" I glanced briefly at the man in front of me who was scowling at me.

"23, sir."

After asking me a few more questions about myself, he turned to the man.

"What's your name, sir?"

He didn't answer immediately, as I noticed him shaking his head at the conversation. It was clear that the policeman was on my side. If only they knew... I smiled a bit.

"Argo- Augustus GreenSmith. I'm 27," he said.

I licked my lower lip as his sharp gaze bore into me.

"Well, can't you two come to an agreement?"

"No!" We both replied firmly.

"Sir, Argo. If you just take responsibility for Natalia, then there won't be any problem. After all, you are going to have a child together, right? Can you bear to have your child born in prison?" the older policeman suggested.

He sat down heavily in the chair and ran his hand over his face several times.

I tightly held onto my sling bag, waiting for his response. Damn it, Natalia. If he doesn't agree, you'll definitely be feeling the cold bars tonight.

"You two should talk first. If you both remain stubborn, we won't get anywhere.”

The man adjusted his seat and looked directly at the policeman.

"Alright, I'll talk to her first." He grabbed my wrist and placed me back in his car.

I sat quietly, hoping he wouldn't speak, but he initiated the conversation.

"Tell me, are you really pregnant?"

I closed my eyes tightly and swallowed multiple times before answering.

"Y-Yes.." My lips lied.

"Fuck!" He punched the steering wheel repeatedly.

I briefly bowed my head, feeling his movement as he silently started the limousine.

I bit my lip as I gazed out the window, leaving behind the precinct we came from.

After a while, we stopped by the roadside where I could see the Mayon Volcano in the distance.

I glanced at him, still with closed eyes, as he massaged the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

"What are we doing here?" I uttered a question.

"Shut up! Just give me a minute.." His voice still carried intense anger.

I leaned back in the car seat and quietly watched the Mayon Volcano and the peaceful sunset.

My gaze returned to him as he got out of the car and forcefully pulled out the flower stuck there.

I swallowed as I watched him holding the flower while sitting on the hood of the limousine.

"Oh, God! What have I done?!"

I noticed him throwing the flower violently off the cliff and taking strides back to the car. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as he started the vehicle again.

"Where are we going now?" I asked nervously due to his quick acceleration.

"We are going to hell!" he said sharply.