Unwrap Your Desire

OLIVIA

I couldn’t stop praying in my mind while we were in the passenger’s seat of this police mobile as it drove its way to the cops station, with one police officer sitting on my left side and Chase on the other side. I could feel the panic eating me up wholly, pulses could not stop from pounding aggressively. No matter how much I tried to think of a better plan in order to escape this unwanted mishap, my smart mind could not seem to make one.

I had to admit that I was being suspicious of Chase right at this point. What if he really owned that bag of illegal substances and would trade in the black market? Was it part of his business to make himself so damn rich? If it was, then all those things I have thought about him- being the kind, responsible and reliable billionaire- were all wrong. If he was doing illegal dealings to earn a huge amount of money, then that made him a walking red flag, someone that I should have not associated with from the very start.

Now, what would happen with my plan? It would be all ruined! Thinking that I would have to say goodbye from a rich life I ever dreamed of made me want to cry.

Why the hell did I end up with this mess? I thought I could escape from the rat race life. I thought I could finally help Lara and Mikael but dang, I was all wrong!

I pulled my hair and huffed out of frustration. I could not keep my emotions at bay seeing these handcuffs on my wrists. I did not do my best to overcome a lot of suffering just to end up being imprisoned because Chase decided to be a bad guy here, and worse was that the police officers thought I was his accomplice!

“Reese, I assure you, we will get this sorted out,” Chase said to me. His words were truly comforting and convincing but I couldn’t help but doubt him now that we were already tangled with this trouble. “That bag loaded with drugs is not mine. I never do drugs, may it be for personal use or for business. God knows that I do not patronize such illegal acts.”

“But why is it in your fucking car to begin with, Chase?” I did not want to sound like I was suspicious of him but my voice came off that way.

I instantly regretted telling those words when I saw the evident dismay in his oceanic eyes. I gasped, wanting to take those words back but I knew it was too late. He looked hurt and invalidated.

I palmed my face using my handcuffed hands, then ran my fingers through my hair. I shifted my position so I could look at him better.

“Chase, I am so sorry . . .” I said, almost tearing up as the panic continued to hammer my chest. “I am just terrified right now. I hope you understand . . .”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“I do understand.” He swallowed hard and looked down at his hands. “But at the very least, I did expect you to believe me when I say that I did not own those things. We can undergo a drug test if you want to, and I can assure you that I am clean. Someone just framed me up,” he said and looked at the police officer sitting next to me.

“If that is the case, then what should we do now, Chase?” I asked him worriedly.

He took a deep breath and licked his lower lip. “Once we get there, I will call my lawyer. I promise this thing will end within the day.”

I only nodded and decided to give him a benefit of the doubt. Looking at him, he seemed to be telling the truth and even though I only knew him for a short period of time, my gut kept telling me that I should trust him no matter what. I sighed, still afraid of what was bound to happen to us. I guess I had to put my faith in Chase. After all, I was pretending to be Reese Jones, the woman he loved the most and I bet he would not want me to live inside the jail.

“I am sorry if I doubted you,” I uttered and rested my head on his shoulders.

“There is no reason for you to doubt me at all, Reese. I abide by the law. I won’t do something that will tarnish my family name, even your name.”

“I know,” I uttered and held his hands that were handcuffed too.

After almost thirty minutes, we arrived at the cops station. We were fully guarded as we went out of the police mobile. I was shocked when I saw some reporters surrounding the whole area, waiting for our arrival. Security guards as well as other policemen blocked them from getting any closer to us.

Camera flashes could be heard anywhere that made me feel so terrified. I never dreamed of seeing my face in the headlines as some sort of a criminal so I lowered my head and covered my face with my own hands. I sighed with relief when we were able to enter the station.

Chase requested to use his phone so he could call a lawyer. It was a good thing that the police officer who brought us here was kind enough to let him make a call. As for me, I was forced to enter an empty jail. They said it would only be for a brief moment as Chase would have to undergo some questioning privately.

I looked around the four corners of this jail I was in and I could not stop my tears from falling. I recalled how I managed to escape from the orphanage and lived in the streets for months, begging people for some cash and food. There were numerous times that the devil in me wanted to steal– to be a pickpocket– in order to support myself but I was too afraid to be caught by the police and be put in jail.

Now, I was here . . . standing behind the metal bars, seeing eyes throwing disgust looks on me as if I really did something wrong. I cried in silence, embraced myself and sat on the cold floor.

It took almost an hour before Chase showed up. His face was red, anger visible in his eyes, and with a ragged breath he entered the jail. The cops who guided him locked the gate, threw a dagger look on Chase and shook his head before he left.

“What happened?” I asked as I stood up and went over him.

“There is no CCTV footage of us checking in the motel last night. I explained myself to them but they seemed not interested to even believe me,” he replied, a bit annoyed and held the metal bars firmly.

“We cannot stay here, Chase. I did not do anything to end up here,” I uttered as I shook my head. I palmed my face, my mind was too haywired to even think of a solution right now. “Is there someone who hates you? Perhaps that person did all these things just to frame you up!”

“If there was anyone, I would know immediately, Reese . . .” he said through his gritted teeth. “We should have not gone to that motel in the first place. Damn it . . .”

I gasped. I was not sure why it felt like something just pierced my heart.

“Are you telling me that it was my fault?” I asked him, raising my voice because of a sudden anger building up inside my chest. “First off, I did not expect that would happen to us, alright? If only I knew this would happen to us, I would have chosen to poop inside your car instead of going to a motel!”

He looked at me, shocked was written on his face but then his eyes softened. He walked closer to me and held my hand, but I pulled it away from him.

“Hey, look. That is not what I meant-”

“Of course, you do! You are lowkey blaming me for this, Chase!” I talked back even though my eyes were already teary. “If not for me, you would not have experienced this shameful situation. But heaven knows I did not want this to happen!”

“Hush now, baby . . . I am so sorry,” he whispered as he tried to lock me in his arms. “I didn’t mean to sound like I was blaming you. I was just frustrated, alright? I am sorry, really. My lawyer is on his way. He will help us get out of here. I promised you that. You have nothing to worry about. I will never let you stay here for too long.”

I bit my lower lip and surrendered to his embrace. It was as if that was the only thing that could comfort me right now. I closed my eyes and prayed that this mess would be resolved as soon as possible as I would not want another trauma to haunt me every night.

It did not take a while before Chase’s lawyer and father came to rescue us. After dealing with the nonsense charge about illegal drugs, the cops have finally let us out. I thought it would turn out good however Chase was welcomed by Uncle Ernest’s punch the moment he stepped out of the jail. I screamed out of fear and immediately stepped in between of them, afraid that Chase would be beaten up severely by his own father.

“How dare you tarnish our names with such an illegal activity!” Uncle Ernest was fuming mad as he pointed his finger to his son.

Chase, on the other hand, licked the blood on the side of his wounded lips.

“Dad, you sure know that I would not do illegal things like that. I believe I am still in my right mind to avoid tarnishing your family name!”

“How dare you talk back to me that way!” Uncle Ernest was about to grab his collar but I stopped him with all my might.

“Uncle, please. I am begging you. Chase is telling the truth! He cannot do such things!” I said, as I defended Chase.

Uncle Ernest was breathing heavily, jaw clenched as he gazed down on me. I could see the disappointment and anger in his eyes. I was not sure if it was meant for Chase or for me but the only thing I wanted right now was for Chase to be aided and go home to relax.

“We will talk at home, Chase.” Uncle Ernest gave me a warning look before he headed outside of the police station. The lawyer followed him, and Chase and I were left alone in front of the jail.

“Chase, are you alright?” I asked and immediately inspected his face. He had a wound on his lips, and there were bruises on the side of it. For some reason, my chest tightened as I looked at him. He had gone through enough. Uncle Ernest should have been kinder to his son. Chase did not ever want this mess to occur in the first place.

“No worries, it is just a small cut,” he assured me. “Let’s go, Reese. I will take you home.”

“What if Uncle Ernest does something to you?” I asked worriedly.

“I can take care of myself. I will explain myself and I am confident that he will believe me later on. Do not get so worked up on this. Let’s go so you can take a rest, alright?”

I was still reluctant that his father would ever listen to him. He did not even hesitate to throw a punch to Chase when he should have asked what really happened first. My gut was telling me that he won’t go easy on his son once they get home. That was why I could not stop myself from worrying about Chase.

***

“Oh my goodness, Reese! What happened, sweetheart? I have seen the news on the television!” Mrs. Jones welcomed me with a hug. I hugged her back as I thought I would not ever see her again.

But, wait . . . did she just mention that she had seen me on the news? Did it mean that the mess we had gotten ourselves to were already reported that fast in the media? I frowned. Here I was thinking how popular the couple– Chase and Reese- were before I entered their life. A part of me was hoping that the media would have blurred our faces as it was shameful if they didn’t.

“Mom, Chase was framed up. Whatever you witnessed on the news, those were not true.”

She released me, nodded and caressed my face. “Of course. I was too aware of Chase’s personality. I am well convinced that he is not someone who would put himself in serious trouble. I am glad that you are safe, Reese.” Her face softened as she hugged me again.

“Thank you for trusting Chase, Mom . . .” I said as I sighed with relief. At least, I knew that Mrs. Jones trusts Chase so much compared to his father.

I was still worrying about what would happen once Chase went home. What if his father beat him to death? I shook my head and tried to keep my cool, hoping that this time Uncle Ernest would have an open mind and listen to his son once and for all.

I came back to my senses when Lara appeared out of nowhere. She hugged me too, and told me how nervous she was when she heard the news. I tried to lighten up the mood, as I did not want them to further worry about me. I was also glad that Mrs. Jones seemed to have like Lara even if they only knew each other for a short period of time.

“What the fuck! You and Reese are really too identical!” Lara commented when we went to my room. Her eyes roamed around the portraits of Reese hanging on the wall and those that were displayed on the cabinets. She embraced herself as if what she witnessed gave her such creeps.

“That is exactly how I felt when I first entered this room,” I responded and headed to the bed. I threw myself on it and let out a huge sigh.

Goodness, I could not believe that I was already home!

I felt Lara laying down beside me. “Care to tell what really happened? Why the hell did you end up in that creepy motel?”

“Because I wanted to poop so badly. I could not hold it any longer so I asked Chase to check in!”

“And then?” I glanced at her and saw that she raised one brow while staring at me.

My cheeks flushed as I recalled how many times we had a sexual intercouse last night. I looked away and cleared my throat.

“Hmm . . .” Lara clicked her tongue. “I think I know what happened next, based on how your face turned red.”

“Alright, we . . .” I rose and leaned my back on the headboard. “It just happened. We did it.” There was no way I would tell her that I seduced Chase!

“Oh my gosh!” she screamed out of giddiness. “You had sex with him!”

“Tone down your voice, Lara! Mrs. Jones might hear you!” I said through my gritted teeth.

She stomped her feet as if she was being tickled everywhere. I narrowed my eyes as I looked at her.

“So how was it?” She wiggled her eyebrows, trying to fish some details from me.

“Alright, so you really want me to tell how great Chase is on bed knowing that we just got ourselves out of the fucking jail. Are you seriously irritating me, Lara?” I said and crossed my arms on my chest, acting that I was pissed off but truthfully, I was only trying to avoid her questions because there was no way I could tell her every detail of what happened between me and Chase last night. It was like a deepest secret I would keep no matter what happens.

She rolled her eyes and huffed. “You’re such a killjoy!”

“No you are just being nosy!” I snorted. “Anyway, I hope Chase will be able to defend himself from his father’s wrath . . .”

“Looks like someone is concerned about her fiance!”

Now, it was my turn to roll my eyes. “Of course, I should be concerned, Lara. That man is the only key for us to get rich.”

“Well, you have a point.” Lara got off the bed and went to the side table where there was a portrait of Reese. She took and looked at it closely. “Damn, girl. She is really like your twin sister. You do not need to act so hard to pretend to be her. That face alone will help you survive.”

“Regardless, Lara. I must copy everything about her so that Chase’s parents will let me marry him.”

“I will start researching a great deal of information about her then,” she said and then she jumped on the bed and hugged me. “I got your back. You have nothing to worry about, Liv-”

“Reese. Call me Reese, you dimwit.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, Reese. Whatever you say. So as I was saying, you have nothing to worry about. All you have to do is to make Chase head over heels on you. Do everything you have to do so you no longer need to face a lot of hardships in life. Do not ever be swayed or regret everything.”

“Trust me, Lara. I would never regret this thing. I will do everything to make this pretense worthy of our time. We will be rich and both of us will no longer need to go back to Mike’s bar.”

“We are really daredevils, don’t you agree?”

“We are,” I said and smirked. “And I am convinced that I am the worst.”