CHAPTER 275
Nicholas drove the car as fast as he could. He cut through the streets knowing that Alicia was in danger and needed to be rescued immediately. At this moment, Nicholas deliberately did not turn on the siren in his car to avoid things that threatened Alicia.
Arriving at Alicia's house, Nicholas could see a suspicious car near Rick and his mother's house.
Nicholas' eyebrows furrowed and he slowed down the car. While looking around, Nicholas tried to think of a plan. Until finally, Nicholas stopped his car right behind the suspicious car.
Nicholas got out of the car, but his gaze remained wary. He took out his gun and pointed it downwards as he walked into Alicia's yard. He realized that Alicia's door was unlocked even though the lights were off.
Just as Nicholas entered Alicia's house, a punch landed from behind. But Nicholas was strong enough to withstand it, so the man immediately turned around and pointed the gun at Ace. But Ace was also ready to shoot Nicholas in the head with the short-barreled G-lock in his hand. Both pistols were pointed at each other, it was just a matter of who could pull the trigger the fastest.
The tension in the room was palpable, the silence broken only by the steady, calm breathing of the two men locked in a deadly standoff. Nicholas, with years of experience under his belt, did not let fear cloud his judgment. Ace, on the other hand, had a wild and unpredictable side of desperation. At that moment, a flicker of doubt flashed across Ace's face, perhaps a momentary doubt about the path he had chosen. Nicholas, who was an observant detective, caught that doubt. Instead of capitalizing on it with force, Nicholas chose words, his gun still aimed but his voice steady and calm. "Ace, think about what you're doing. This is not the way," Nicholas said, his tone very soft for the situation.Ace's arms trembled slightly, the weight of this situation finally dawning on him. "You don't understand, Nicholas. I had no choice," he replied, his voice shaking with emotion. "There is always a choice, Ace. It's never too late to turn things around," Nicholas retorted, taking a slow step forward, his gun still drawn but his intent clear.
"Selena... has already revealed everything she knows."
Ace paused, he gulped. There was a feeling of anger that Selena couldn't keep her mouth shut even though Ace had paid. But that didn't faze Ace, he still pointed the gun at Nicholas.
While in the midst of the tense atmosphere, Nicholas tried to observe the surroundings. Alicia was on the floor, lying unconscious. And this made Nicholas even more uncomfortable. Nicholas raised his gun higher and said, "Let Alicia go!"
"Alicia was my lover, before you came and messed things up." Ace retorted without any fear. "I'll go with her."
Nicholas then lowered his head and ran at Ace until Ace fell to the floor. Both of their pistols were loose on the ground. Ace saw his gun under the chair and was about to pick it up, but Nicholas' hand held Ace's leg. Ace kicked Nicholas as hard as he could.
Nicholas felt a sharp pain from Ace's kick, but his determination to save Alicia strengthened his resolve. He quickly recovered, ignored the pain in his side, and launched himself at Ace with a ferocity that stunned his opponent. The two men wrestled on the floor, their training and desperation evident in every move and counterattack.
In close quarters, Nicholas managed to land a hard punch to Ace's jaw, which took him by surprise. Seizing the opportunity, Nicholas pinned Ace to the mat, his hands pressing down on Ace's shoulders with all his might. Ace struggled underneath, but Nicholas' training and adrenaline gave him the upper hand.
"Enough, Ace!" Nicholas shouted, his voice echoing throughout the silent house. "This ends now!"
With Ace already helpless, Nicholas looked around quickly, spotting the two pistols lying just out of his reach. With quick movements, he pushed himself off Ace and picked up his own gun, training it once more on Ace, who was now slowly getting to his feet, shaking his head to clear the stars from his vision.
Ace looked up at Nicholas, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger, despair, and defeat. He knew he was losing, but his pride wouldn't let him give up so easily. "You think you've won, Nicholas?" Ace spat, his voice filled with venom. "You think you can just walk in here and-"
Before Ace could finish his sentence, Nicholas cut him off. "It's over, Ace. You're not thinking straight. This isn't who you are. You don't have to go down this path."
Ace, panting, seemed to falter for a moment, his resolve wavering. But then, as if pushed by an invisible force, he lunged his gun under the chair. Nicholas, anticipating the move, fired a warning shot right in front of Ace's ear, making him stop abruptly, and finally realize his precarious situation.
Nicholas, with the gun still pointed at Ace, stepped closer. "Don't make me do this, Ace. Back off. It's over."
Ace, seeing the determination in Nicholas' eyes and knowing that he had no way out, finally lowered his gaze and slowly raised his hands in surrender. Nicholas kept his gun pointed at Ace as he called for help, never taking his eyes off the defeated man until the authorities arrived to take him into custody.
"Ace Blake, you are under arrest for premeditated murder, attempted kidnapping, robbery and escaping from prison. You have the right to remain silent and bring your lawyer."
The sound of sirens from the police car brought by Noel and the team, made Nicholas feel relieved. Noel arrived with other policemen, they moved to arrest Ace. Ace looked at Nicholas vengefully, and he couldn't take his eyes off Alicia who was still lying on the floor due to the anesthetic from him.
"Alicia."
****
Nicholas hugged Alicia, taking her into the ambulance for recovery. There were several cuts on Alicia's face, she must have fought Ace when he tried to drug her unconscious.
Ace had been arrested, taken to the police station so he couldn't escape again. Through interrogation with a psychiatrist, Ace was declared to have partial amnesia and only remembered the things he wanted to remember, this condition made Ace have an obsession with Alicia and he did not care about the conditions around him.
Meanwhile, at Wilson Blake's place, Angela is caught trying to kill Wilson. She wants Wilson's treasure without having to chase Ace anymore. But in the end, Mr. Donovan arrives and finds Angela who almost killed Wilson Blake. Angela was put in jail.
Everyone had a happy ending, especially Alicia.
"Alicia, are you feeling better?"
The question came out of Nicholas' mouth when Alicia opened her eyes. She was still lying on the bed, her condition very weak due to a slight head injury. But everything was fine.
"I... am I in the hospital, Nick?"
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The sound of a knock on the door made Alicia and Nicholas turn their heads in alarm. Everyone looked at the door, and Brittany was standing there. She had come with Paul and Susan.
"Alicia!"
Brittany ran to hug Alicia who was just trying to get out of bed. "Britt."
"This is really driving me crazy, Alicia!"
After releasing the hug, Alicia smiled. "Ace -"
"You don't have to talk about it," Nicholas cut in, he took Alicia's weakened hand and continued, "Ace has already been punished. Ace and his mother, Angela. They will both get what they reap."
Brittany's brows furrowed. "Isn't this a bad end for them?"
"But it's a good start for Alicia and me." Alicia gave Nicholas a confused look, especially when Nicholas pulled out a ring box from his pants pocket. He opened the box and showed Alicia the diamond ring inside. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you again. Will you marry me and have a good start without all this terror, Alicia?"
Alicia looked surprised at first. But she snorted and nodded her head in the end. "I will."
Nicholas hugged Alicia, while Brittany and Paul clapped for both of them. Finally, Alicia could start a better story with Nicholas. And all the bad things that happened in the past, would just be in the past.
***
End
Nicholas hugged Alicia, taking her into the ambulance for recovery. There were several cuts on Alicia's face, she must have fought Ace when he tried to drug her unconscious.
Ace had been arrested, taken to the police station so he couldn't escape again. Through interrogation with a psychiatrist, Ace was declared to have partial amnesia and only remembered the things he wanted to remember, this condition made Ace have an obsession with Alicia and he did not care about the conditions around him.
Meanwhile, at Wilson Blake's place, Angela is caught trying to kill Wilson. She wants Wilson's treasure without having to chase Ace anymore. But in the end, Mr. Donovan arrives and finds Angela who almost killed Wilson Blake. Angela was put in jail.
Everyone had a happy ending, especially Alicia.
"Alicia, are you feeling better?"
The question came out of Nicholas' mouth when Alicia opened her eyes. She was still lying on the bed, her condition very weak due to a slight head injury. But everything was fine.
"I... am I in the hospital, Nick?"
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The sound of a knock on the door made Alicia and Nicholas turn their heads in alarm. Everyone looked at the door, and Brittany was standing there. She had come with Paul and Susan.
"Alicia!"
Brittany ran to hug Alicia who was just trying to get out of bed. "Britt."
"This is really driving me crazy, Alicia!"
After releasing the hug, Alicia smiled. "Ace -"
"You don't have to talk about it," Nicholas cut in, he took Alicia's weakened hand and continued, "Ace has already been punished. Ace and his mother, Angela. They will both get what they reap."
Brittany's brows furrowed. "Isn't this a bad end for them?"
"But it's a good start for Alicia and me." Alicia gave Nicholas a confused look, especially when Nicholas pulled out a ring box from his pants pocket. He opened the box and showed Alicia the diamond ring inside. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you again. Will you marry me and have a good start without all this terror, Alicia?"
Alicia looked surprised at first. But she snorted and nodded her head in the end. "I will."
Nicholas hugged Alicia, while Brittany and Paul clapped for both of them. Finally, Alicia could start a better story with Nicholas. And all the bad things that happened in the past, would just be in the past.
CHAPTER 1Golden High School. 10:00 am.A young girl was standing under an oak tree when she dropped the last of her cigarette butts. The girl was Alicia, Alicia Perth. Alicia's sea-like blue eyes looked down at her feet, which were wrapped in black ankle boots. The boots had stepped on the remains of a cigarette, causing it to crumble and mingle with the asphalt on the street.Alicia's hand held an invitation envelope with a rose gold logo on the front, while her other hand, wrapped in a colorful suede bracelet, squeezed her ashes backpack on her shoulder. The few people around her were now watching. Alicia caught the eye because of her beautiful face. Alicia had a uniquely American face, her eyeballs were large and beautiful, and her nose was sharp as if carved by a professional artist. So Alicia's appearance that day, successfully made a lot of boys around pull out their smiles.That tall girl ignored people's eyes, she honestly didn't care what others thought of her. Even if it wa
CHAPTER 2"What... did you say?"Alicia and Brittany stared at each other. Alicia was quite surprised by the question asked by the stranger in front of her. She was suddenly speechless, her tongue frozen, not knowing what to say in response to Brittany. But Brittany frowned.Instead, Brittany hissed softly, signaling that girl next to her to keep quiet. She placed her finger in front of her lips. That girl with blonde hair also looked around, as if she didn't want her words to be heard by anyone else. "Do you have a weapon over there?"Alicia bent her forehead deeply and shook her head. Confused. "I don't-"But Brittany interrupted. "Have you ever killed anyone?"Alicia frowned again and shook her head quickly. She had no idea what Brittany was talking about and it brought out the puzzled expression on Alicia's smooth face. Now that Alicia had a serious expression, she felt very strange about her new friend.Brittany laughed amusedly and nudged Alicia's arm gently, "Come on, I'm just
CHAPTER 3Golden High School.A male corpse was found with his body on his back, eyes widened, tongue sticking out and stomach area full of blackish-red fluid. The condition was so bad that some students who couldn't stand it immediately moved away and left the scene. The elites at Golden High School were already trying to block the horrible scene, they set up a blockade.Mr. Wilson arrived at the scene and held his breath in shock. He looked around and tried to shoo away the students, although that old man's words were just taken for granted by them. They were very curious, it was the first time they had found a dead body in school. This was an interesting crime to follow."What are you guys doing here? You guys should leave, stop filming!" The elites were asked to bring the kids back, but there were too many of them for Mr. Wilson to do anything else there.Shortly after, NYPD (New York Police Department) chief Paul Scoots, arrived with two other policemen and a young detective name
CHAPTER 4Alicia does have strong intuitive abilities. Although she refused to connect with the death that had just happened, her intuition told her otherwise. Something inside Alicia's head forced her to come, so Alicia finally got up from the chair in the main hall and went to the dormitory hallway.Everyone seemed to be filling the hallway. From a distance, Alicia could find some students who were sick to their stomachs, or whispering about the incident. Although she wasn't really interested, Alicia ended up standing among the crowd of people who were watching the process of moving the victim with enthusiasm. They looked curious, worried and scared at the same time.It was a rare scene. However, it wasn't the first time for Alicia.A man with a black mustache approached Nicholas. Nicholas was still gently patting Brittany's back in the corner of the hallway. "Brittany, isn't that the James I know?""Yes, Dad. He's my boyfriend," Brittany said through tears.Paul Scoots lifted his c
CHAPTER 5Hall room. 1:00 pm.After a long autopsy process, the NYPD and hospital forensic experts finally informed detective Nicholas of James Portman's autopsy results. A forensic doctor named Anna gave Nicholas a few written reports and he studied them quite well."The victim was pronounced dead as a result of his blocked cystic artery," Nicholas said after reading the report in hand.Nicholas' eyes looked around, the hospital was as busy as any other day. But Nicholas knew that after that day, his day would be more busy. James' death was no ordinary death. It was murder, and the worst part was that James' death could have been a case of serial murder.Nicholas kept all the reports well, then reported them to Paul Scoots as his responsibility. Nicholas had a good hold on the case. And after confirming everything, Nicholas managed to become the leader of the investigation of this case.After getting full permission from Golden High School to conduct the investigation, Nicholas was a
Ace scowled and rolled his eyes lazily. "She already has a boyfriend, but still flirts with me. What else would you call her if not a slut?"He said that very casually, making Jake angry as he heard it there. His face was flushed with anger, while his firm hands tugged at both sides of Ace's denim jacket collar until the hazel-haired man looked right at him. They were now locked in a bitter stare-down. Neither of them looked like they were going to let up. They were both strong and principled."Hey, hey, what are you guys doing?" Nicholas stood up from his chair, spreading his hands between the two men in front of him. One hand held Jake, and the other held Ace. But both of them were determined. They were stubborn."You'll die if you insult Elena again!" threatened Jake. He pointed angrily at Ace's face."I'm waiting for you to kill me," Ace replied in a sarcastic tone.Seeing that the two men were not getting along, Nicholas pushed Jake a little harder. Nicholas tried to get them to
CHAPTER 7The main hallway of Golden High School.In life, aren't we supposed to accept all kinds of realities gracefully? Including the death of someone we love.But James Portman's death is something different for a few reasons. First, he left under conditions that we all know, are very sad. Secondly, James' death happened on Alicia's first day as a new student at Golden High School. Third, how could Alicia's new friend, the one she met in the main hall, be related to the death that had just happened?How could this series of scenes be so coincidental? Everything was interconnected as if it was a fate planned by God.But, was all of this really just a coincidence?Alicia stopped her steps and observed the police line that crossed in front of her. everything still felt the same as the day James was found dead. But the difference was that there was no blood and no corpse. Alicia's sense of smell picked up the scent of apples mixed with lemon from the floor cleaner used by the cleaners
CHAPTER 8Alicia didn't know how long that handsome detective had been there, finding her like a squirrel caught stealing human food. Nicholas didn't call out immediately, just stayed behind her while observing. From day one, Alicia had caught his attention. But today, Nicholas felt even more curious about Alicia.Nicholas gave a small grin, then pointed at Alicia's hand that was hidden behind her body. "I know you're taking pictures."Alicia tried to act as normal as possible as Nicholas' eyes looked at her suspiciously. "I'm just taking pictures like the other students, it's for social media."Nicholas knew Alicia was lying. Alicia's expression said it all. But Nicholas chose not to discuss it and instead changed the subject. "I saw you talking to Ace in the main hall. That jerk didn't say anything bad, did he?"Alicia shook her head and closed her mouth tightly in defense. But when Nicholas diverted their conversation, Alicia already felt relief. At least she didn't have to answer