Chapter 1: Suddenly arrested

At the warm dawn in the city of Toronto, where the sun weaves golden threads over the beautiful high-rise buildings, casting its glow upon the bustling streets, Ethan Thomas was awakened in room 2023 at the JW Blue hotel. With a heavy mind and blurred vision, Ethan slowly opened his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he saw the ceiling spinning in the hotel room. After stabilizing his sight, Ethan turned his gaze to find the source of the distressing cries. Immediately, he was confronted with the image of a young girl sitting huddled in the corner against the wall. Her body was only covered with a simple piece of cloth, and her long hair concealed her face. The girl was sobbing incessantly, mumbling words of pleading. Ethan was utterly puzzled by the situation.

In a sudden rush, he sat up to his feet, inadvertently causing the blanket to fall from his chest. Startled, Ethan realized his own nakedness. He tried to summon his memory to make sense of the situation but quickly failed. His mind was completely blank.

While he was still in a state of confusion, without even having a chance to put on clothes or inquire about the situation with the girl in the corner, there came a knock on the door.

"Open the door quickly!"

Following the direction of the voice, Ethan looked toward the door, revealing his perplexity. At the same time, the girl, upon hearing someone outside, rushed to open the door. However, the door was securely locked, and she didn't have the key.

"The door is locked!" The girl screamed in panic.

"Stay away from the door; we'll break it open," the voice from outside transmitted. As if understanding the situation, the girl quickly retreated away from the door.

In no time, the door was forcefully opened. Ethan hadn't even had a chance to intervene before the act of sabotage occurred.

Immediately, before the girl, appeared a group of three people—two men and one woman—all dressed in police uniforms. The girl, upon seeing the police, burst into tears, showing a terrified and pitiful expression.

"Can I ask if you're the one who called the police?" The female officer looked at the scantily clad girl, inquiring gently.

The girl nodded and replied, "Yes, that's correct."

"Where is the suspect?" The female officer asked again.

"He's in there," the girl said, trembling. She didn't dare turn to look inside the room, fearing that Ethan would see her face.

"Alright, we're here now. Don't worry, no one will harm you anymore." The female officer comforted the girl with a hug.

The girl nodded understandingly and automatically stepped aside, making way for the police to enter.

At this moment, Ethan seemed to no longer pay attention to the noise at the door. He took the opportunity to pick up his clothes from the floor to put them on. Suddenly, a group of people rushed in. Ethan was startled as someone stood behind him, and he hadn't finished putting on his clothes yet.

"Who are you all?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, looking at the uninvited guests, and asked in an annoyed tone, "Why dare you barge into my room?"

"We are the police." One of the two men spoke and showed his police badge to Ethan, saying, "We received a report of a rape incident here."

Ethan was extremely surprised to hear this news. It was early in the morning, and he hadn't mentally prepared himself to deal with any jokes or humor, let alone something as serious as this.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ethan asked, still not grasping the danger he was in. "There must be some misunderstanding here. Did you enter the wrong room?"

"I don't think so," one of the police officers replied patiently. "The victim called the police to report the incident."

"What?" Ethan was once again astonished by the news. "Who did that? Do they even know who I am to dare?"

"Girl, tell us: Did this man rape you?" The female officer interrupted Ethan as she walked in. She had been attending to the girl, who was presumed to be the victim.

The frightened girl cowered behind the female officer without hesitation and accused Ethan. "Yes, he is the one who raped me."

She pointed her trembling finger towards Ethan. After a moment of shock and disbelief, Ethan felt anger welling up within him at being suddenly falsely accused. He raised his voice and said, "Hey, be careful with your statements. When did I rape her?"

"Last night, you did. Even though I begged you to stop," the girl sobbed, "you took away my virginity."

After the girl finished speaking, she cried in the arms of the female officer.

"Lies!" Ethan angrily retorted. "This is a blatant fabrication. I did not rape her."

Ethan wanted to approach the girl to reason and refute the accusations, but the police officers intervened, believing he was threatening the victim. In response to Ethan's aggressive demeanor, the girl clung even tighter to the female officer, too afraid to face him directly. Throughout the conversation, she never lifted her head or looked at Ethan, fearing he might see her face.

"We ask that you remain calm." The police sternly told Ethan, "Please finish dressing up, then follow us to the station."

"I haven't committed any crime," Ethan exclaimed indignantly. "I'm sure she's lying. She's just a cheap prostitute who willingly climbed into my bed."

"We will investigate and clarify every aspect of this matter. If you are innocent, we will definitely restore justice for you. Now, please seriously comply with the order and come with us to the police station," the police officer said firmly, trying to control Ethan's agitation.

Despite feeling frustrated and unwilling, Ethan had no other choice. He was forced to follow the police. Fortunately for him, while leaving the hotel, he didn't attract much attention. Otherwise, it would have been even more embarrassing to be seen in that situation.

The girl presumed to be the victim also had to go to the police station to give her statement. However, she was escorted in a separate vehicle to avoid riding in the same car with Ethan.

Observing Ethan being led away by the police, the mysterious figure smirked with evident satisfaction.