"The truck driver has already confessed. He confirmed you hired him to kill J Wilcox," the officer stated tly. "Combined with this evidence... you''re looking at a minimum of five years. You should probably get a goodwyer."


    "Impossible!"


    The thought of going to prison made Trent snap. He shot up from his chair, hisposure shattering. "This is all a setup by Juniper and J! I won''t confess to anything!"


    "Mr. Wilcox, please calm down," the officer advised.


    "I want to see mywyer!" Trent waspletely unhinged, unable to fathom spending his prime years behind bars. He shoved the table aside and tried to storm out of the room.


    "Grab him!"


    The officers moved in immediately, but Trent resisted violently. In the struggle, he threw a punch that connected with an officer''s face, knocking the man out cold.


    "Don''t move!" another officer shouted, drawing his gun. Only then did Trent freeze.


    "Attempted murder and now assaulting an officer in a police station..." The officer who had cuffed him spoke with grim finality. "The bestwyer in the world can''t help you now."


    "I want to see my father!" Trent yelled. His father had connections; surely he knew someone high up.


    "As for your father..." The officer gave a cold smirk as he stamped the detention papers. "His situation is a lot worse than yours."


    Worse? Could it be? Had they found out what he did to J''s father?


    Trent stood frozen, a dead silence falling over him as the horrifying realization dawned.


    ...


    Meanwhile, in the other room, Ezra had been ying dumb, denying everything. But as the evidence wasid out before him, his psychological defenses began to crumble.


    "Moneyundering, bid-rigging, and..." The officer ced one final file in front of him. "Two car idents from many years ago. It seems you had a hand in those as well."


    One had involved Ms. Miller''s lover. The other, his own brother.


    "Mr. Wilcox, you can continue to deny it," the officer said, tapping the documents. "But we have more than enough evidence to prove you''re the murderer. Dragging this out will only harm your case content


    "Get your chief in here. I''ll speak to him," Ezra demanded, ast-ditch effort. He stared at the evidence, his voice hoarse.


    "Calling him won''t do any good," the officer said with a chilling smile. "To be honest with you, we have orders from the top to handle your family''s case with extreme care."


    "The top?" Ezra''s fists clenched, his eyes bloodshot.


    "The Schwartz family," the officer replied.


    The Schwartz family? Era City''s most powerful family... He recalled that Juniper''s brother, Jimmie, was good friends with Shanley the heir to the Serwartz fortune And J was Juniper''s cousin.


    So that''s why the Schwartz family was stepping in for J. With themwyer, no matter how


    ved, ho


    skilled, could save him. Ezra''s body


    went limp, and he slumped back into his chair, utterly defeated. It was over. Everything was over.