Chapter 209
209 Power Plays
But after what happened last night, Aurora realized Scarlett was a lot harder to deal with than she though .
If she didn’t put a stop to her now, Scarlett wasn’t just going to be a problem. She was going to be a seriou threat.
That’s why Aurora had pushed for them to act fast–while Scarlett was still new to Jandale, before she found her footing.
The plan? Use the illegal substance..
According to Jose, it was just a bag of candy.
The idea was to trick Scarlett into thinking she’d taken something illegal–just to scare her.
They wanted to see her panic. Break her down. Make her feel helpless and humiliated.
That way, she’d learn her place and stop acting bold in Jandale.
Honestly, the plan was solid. For most people, it would’ve worked.
It might’ve even made her powerful family hesitate to push back. No one could say for sure if the substance was real or not.
Because once that stuff was in her system–even if she didn’t know what it was–she’d be in the wrong.
And for the sake of reputation, most people would’ve swallowed their pride and kept their heads down.
But then someone suggested. “Why not use the real thing?”
No one was going to test it anyway.
They even figured if Scarlett got hooked on the stuff, she’d be theirs–completely under control. Turn her into an addict, and she’d become their puppet.
They never expected the police to actually show up.
Damn it . Who called the cops ?
Not only had they failed, but now Aurora had nearly dragged herself down with them.
She was lucky she slipped out when she did.
If she’d been dragged down to the station with the others, the Lane family might’ve cut her off for good..
Watching the cops disappear into the distance, Aurora quickly called a cab and rushed back to the Lane
estate.
This whole mess needed to be reported to Susan before it blew up any further.
report
Families like theirs didn’t care much about petty drama among the younger generation.
But public scandal? That was different
If this got out, it would reflect badly on the family. For someone like Susan , who cared about reputation
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more than anything, that kind of embarrassment would be devastating.
Meanwhile, tucked away in a dark corner, no one noticed-
Someone sent out a message.
“Mr. Fletcher, Ms. Joyner has been taken in.”
At the police station-
It was chaos.
Way too many kids were brought in at once. Everyone was stressed, and no one wanted to make the wrong call.
The chief quickly handed the case to a newly promoted officer.
These weren’t nobodies. Th
were children of the most powerful families in the city.
Handle it too harshly, and your career’s over.
Handle it too lightly? Well… this was a drug case. Not exactly something you could sweep under the rug .
The entire department was on edge. No one wanted to be the one to screw this up.
And now that word had gotten out, those same families were already pulling strings, calling in favors, and trying to get their kids out.
It was a mess .
Just as tensions peaked, someone called out.
“Mr. Samuel is here.”
He wasn’t a politician or law enforcement. Just a businessman. But back in the day, he had a reputation for being solid–honorable and dependable–and had a reputation for keeping his word..
He had real friends–the kind who’d stick with you through hell and back.
Some of them had gone on to hold serious positions in law enforcement.
When Samuel showed up, they didn’t take it lightly. Everyone treated him with respect.
Jose was immediately pulled aside and given a private room.
They were planning to sweep the whole thing under the rug.
No one had actually been caught using anything, and no one could explain how the drugs ended up in the
room.
Legally? That meant no solid case.
In fact, they could’ve been released right then and there.
209 Power Plays
But if anyone acted cocky or uncooperative, they’d have every excuse to hold them longer
Jose saw his grandfather and nearly lost it.
Especially after thinking about the things he’d said on that phone call earlier.
His eyes turned red with emotion.
“Grandpa…” he muttered, standing stiff and straight, head lowered like a kid waiting to be scolded.
Samuel looked him over, half amused. “Finally standing still and taking what’s coming to you. Took you long enough.”
Jose’s ears turned red. “Grandpa…”
Samuel waved him off. “Take him back. I didn’t come for him.”
Jose blinked. What? That emotional phone call just happened ! And now this? Seriously? That’s one hell of a switch .
“Wait–what? You didn’t come to get me out?”
Samuel let out a sigh. “I think you should stay here a few nights. Honestly? It’s quiet in here. I might finally get some sleep knowing you’re off the streets. ”
Jose froze.
What happened to all that family love ? Did it just disappear ?
An officer stepped in. “Mr. Kramer, if you’re here to meet with our department head, I can make that call-
“No,” Samuel interrupted. Then he turned toward his grandson, looking unimpressed.
“I want to talk to the woman who made that phone call. Where is she?”
Jose stared at him in disbelief. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Findnøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access s of novels early and in the highest quality.
He hadn’t come for him… But for Scarlett?
The Scarlett he tried to frame?
Jose stared at him, totally thrown off. For a second, he wasn’t even sure this was the same grandfather he grew up with.
“What, you can’t speak now?” Samuel snapped, and Jose flinched.
He pointed to the holding cell where Scarlett sat.
Since she and Dreame were the only girls, they’d been separated from the others.
Dreame looked pale, wide–eyed, and completely terrified.
Scarlett, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered–calm, relaxed.
If it weren’t for the bars, she looked like she was on vacation.
Samuel raised an eyebrow. “Interesting,” he said to the officer beside him. “Mind if I speak with her
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privately?”
“Of course.”
The officer quickly arranged a private room.
++8 Pearls
Ten minutes later-
An old man and a young woman sat across from each other.
Fresh coffee steamed on the table between them, its rich scent filling the air.
Samuel studied her.
“Jose’s always had people watching his back,” he said, voice low. “And yet you still managed to take him down hard.” He smiled faintly. “You’ve got a spine, kid. I like that.”
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