6 [RED] : Whatever It Takes.

Looking down at the ground, bouncing his leg nervously, while tapping his index finger against the stubble on his chin, feeling his boyfriend's soothing hand moving up and down his back; Zayn Malik was getting impatient with his mother's chattering quaveringly.

"I don't know how all of that could happen, we were just eating dinner and your dad was irritated, picking at his food, shouting at your sisters for every little thing, I knew he was angry because of work, you know since the announcement yesterday; he doesn't like his new boss, but I couldn't just sit around and let him hurt your sisters' feelings. They literally went to their rooms without finishing dinner just because of his arrogant.."

Zayn rolled his eyes mentally, "For heaven's sake mum! Just tell me why did the police take him?" He knows how his mum is when she's nervous. But now so was he.

His mother sighed loudly, you could see her heart's breaking, with how red her eyes were turning, and the way she looked at the walls like they're missing her husband already. Jail? At his age? She didn't think a day like this would ever come.

"They said something about him stealing money from the company. Can you believe this?" She sobbed softly.

Liam, being the sweetheart that he is, went to her side and wrapped his arms around her while she cried against the tissue between her fingers.

"What?!" Zayn felt the anger building inside him, "This is unbelievable!" his hands formed fists on his sides as he stood up and walked towards the door.

"Zayn! Where are you going?" Liam questioned.

"I'll go to the police station. I need to know what's happening. Please Liam stay here with my mum and sisters until I get back."

Liam nodded before he closed the distance between him and Zayn, he knew what Yaser meant to his beloved boyfriend, everything. "I'm here for you, okay?" He whispered, holding Zayn's face between his hands and gently pecking his lips.

"Yeah. Thanks." Zayn blinked before nodding and left the house.

Liam sighed and went to sit next to Trisha, "Do you want to tell me what happened again?" He asked gently, knowing she'd feel better if she talked about it all over again.

~

"What do you mean I can't see him? My father isn't a criminal! There must be a fucking misunderstanding!" Zayn shouted at the police officer who was just about to lose his cool just like Zayn.

"Lower your voice, please. It's about to be nine and we can't allow visitors at this hour." The officer rubbed his forehead in annoyance.

"I need to talk to him!" Zayn pressed.

"You can't, so please leave or I'll have to take other actions." The officer warned.

Zayn tugged at his hair, feeling frustrated and helpless.

"At least," Zayn's voice came out shaky, "At least tell me what did he supposedly do."

The officer felt sympathy for the young man, sighing loudly he started moving pages in a notebook in front of him, before he found what was he looking for.

"Yaser Malik, the assistant of Des Styles, was seen by the security in Styles Enterprises, at the end of Monte street, stealing money from the company's safe, at 7:32 today's evening date.."

"No way! Absolutely not him."

"The whole security team confirmed it was him. Mr. Malik."

What on earth is going on? How? Why? A chaos was storming in Zayn's mind.

"Could I see the footage?" Zayn teared up. As he heard his phone going off, he quickly look at it, as he saw Liam's name he put it on silent.

"Bring a lawyer and you can." The officer shut the notebook, like a signal that this conversation was over.

But Zayn was not finished yet.

"Officer, please I need to see him, just five minutes." Zayn pleaded.

"I'm afraid I can't."

Zayn's shoulders fell, as he felt the sobbs coming. What do I do?

"If you want my advice, talk to the CEO of the company, try and settle maybe an arrangemt with him. I've seen the footage and it was clear your father was carrying the suitcase and left with it, and we found it in his room in his house."

"My father is not a thief." Zayn's phone started ringing. He look quickly and put it on silent again.

"But the footage.." the officer was going to say the same shit again about the footage, but Zayn interrupted.

"Do you really think that a man who's been working in a company for twenty years would do something like that and he knows there're cameras everywhere?"

The officer stared at Zayn, he was tired this evening but with a quick thought about what Zayn said, he knew it was a possibility, but he knows he wouldn't like to be involved in any case with the Styles.

"I understand. Bring a lawyer and I'll open an investagation. But as I said, there are footages, a couple of them, and the amount stolen wasn't small."

"He did not steal it." Zayn's jaw clenched in anger.

"Talk to the Styles, that's my best advice."

"... I will." Zayn finally said as he left the police station.

He got inside his car as his phone started ringing, and he quickly answered without looking at the ID caller.

"Yes," His voice came out raspy as he was at the verge of crying.

"Zayn? Baby tell me what happened? Are you okay?" Liam's soft voice came through the phone.

"I'm in my way home now, we need to talk to uncle Yusef first thing in the morning."

"Isn't he the one we went to his wedding last year? He's a lawyer right?"

"Yeah, so I should go see him.. or you know what?" Zayn's eyes twinkled.

"What?"

"You go talk to him,"

"What? Why? What about you? And what would I tell him? Zayn, you need to be there."

Zayn tapped the steering wheel, digging his nails roughly in the leathery cover above it.

"Look.." Zayn started but was stopped when a car's loud horn went off beside him.

"Zayn, please tell me you're not driving." Liam's tone showed his disappointment.

"No, Liam. I'm still parked outside the police station but I'm coming home now and I'll tell you all the details, so you can go and talk to him first thing in the morning. Can you do that?" He knows Liam won't have to work until late tomorrow, at least until the restaurant closes and the bar opens at 7.

"Yeah of course. What about you? Where are you going tomorrow?"

"I need to go to Styles Enterprises." Zayn mumbled and started the car.

"Okay, I'm waiting for you here, drive safely." Liam said and hang up.

Zayn put his phone down and stared at the city's lights flashing in front of his eyes, and the cars' brake red lights. The tower of the city Petunia tower was standing tall in the horizon, like it's always been and seen from every place in the city. He was not actually seeing any of them. But he sensed the cars passing.. one after one after one.

He was clueless of what would happen, and his heart ached at leaving his father stay the night at jail, but he was sure of one thing only. He needs to help his father, and he'd do anything to get him out of this trouble and back to his mother and sisters. Whatever it takes.

~

General rules of Ethereal City:

◇ ᴘᴜɴɪꜱʜᴍᴇɴᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇꜰᴛ ɪɴ ᴇᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴀʟ ᴄɪᴛʏ ɪꜱ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ꜱɪx ᴍᴏɴᴛʜꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ʏᴇᴀʀ ɪɴ ᴘʀɪꜱᴏɴ, ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ꜰɪɴᴇ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴊᴜᴅɢᴇ ♧

♤ ɪꜰ ᴀ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ᴡᴀꜱ ꜱᴛᴇᴀʟɪɴɢ ꜰᴏᴏᴅ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ɢᴏᴛ ꜱᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ ᴏꜰ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀꜱᴀʟɪꜱᴍ, ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴀ ᴘʀᴏꜰᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏ ꜰɪɴᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅꜱ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴘᴀɪᴅ ♡

~
Things are going to take a different turn when he meets Harry *winks*

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