Amelia watched the Lau Residence shrink as the police cars sped away from the crime scene. The Governor had been arrested after police officers stormed the building and dragged him out into the crisp Cantonesian air.

"Lau Ga Yuet*, I do not appreciate being woken up at four in the morning because of your shenanigans." Governor Lau stared furiously at his daughter in the police car.

"Father, don't assume you are innocent." Elise glared at her dad. "You will pay for this."

"I am the governor of Cantonesia," Richard replied. "I have a reputation to uphold, and I will do whatever it takes to retain a spotless criminal record—at least in the public eye."

"You'll be found out eventually," Elise scoffed. "There has to be at least one official who doesn't fall prey to bribery in Cantonesia. Not all of us have corrupt and unlawful parents."

Elise realized what she had just said and tried her best not to cast an apologetic glance at Amelia.

The young woman in question simply shrugged and watched the argument unfold silently from the back seat. She suspected she'd have the same conversation with her father if he were here.

The procession of police cars pulled up in front of a gray steel building—Cantonesia's Law Enforcement Headquarters. It stretched to touch the clouds, looming over the vehicles imposingly. The ominous atmosphere sent shivers down Elise's spine, but Amelia seemed unfazed. She'd been in too many of these buildings before to be shocked or scared.

The police officers shoved the three convicts out of the car and marched them up to the entrance. They silently took the elevator up to an unknown floor.

A few minutes later, Elise and Amelia were placed in a holding cell on the police headquarters' floor. Governor Lau was taken to a special interrogation room.

"Good luck." Elise rolled her eyes at her father.

"I won't need it." Governor Lau raised an eyebrow slyly. Elise glared at him in response.

A silhouette gracefully glided into the room Amelia and Elise were being kept in. Slowly, she emerged from the shadows. The young woman had her ebony hair up in a messy bun, and donned a white blazer with a black tank top as if she knew she was dancing in between the fine line of guilty and innocent. Her black pants were held up by a golden belt that seemed to shimmer involuntarily in the dimly lit room. She nonchalantly paced outside the cell, leopard-patterned heels clacking against the marble floor, and stopped in front of the women. Steely, hazel eyes stared at the duo.

"Oh! Fancy seeing you both here. What are you in for?"

Amelia glared at the young woman. It was the person who had caused her to lose her freedom right before she was about to gain it back—Darling. "You know very well why we've ended up in this cell. Why did you frame us?"

"I'd never frame you!" Darling gasped. "How dare you accuse me of such a crime? I'm an honest person. Elise knows that very well."

Amelia looked over at Elise, who was staring at the floor with a hollow expression. "Don't even try talking to me right now."

"Very well," Darling responded. "If you both want to know why I chose to expose you both, please ask. I'll just stand here and wait."

Amelia raised an eyebrow at Darling but said nothing. She knew this was a manipulation tactic, so she refused to be controlled.

A few moments passed by. Nobody spoke.

Finally, Darling broke the prolonged silence. "Let me give you both a mini history lesson," she smiled ruefully. "When I was young, my father left to serve in the army for Cantonesia, but he probably got killed because of it—I don't even know what happened to him after he left home one day and never came back. I was young, but I will never forget that."

"Afterwards," Darling continued, "Your father became the governor of Cantonesia, Elise. He claimed he would forge a new path, promising prosperity and peace to all. My family was less fortunate and ended up in an area filled with civil unrest. That was why my grandmother risked her life every day to simply buy bread for us. Sometimes we didn't even have enough money for food. Meanwhile, you high and mighty elites squander your riches, not even casting a side glance at the people who do honest work to earn a small salary."

"Governor Lau promised to keep all innocent civilians safe from harm, but he failed to keep his word. I'd say this is a worthy sacrifice—my loyalty and trust for your family's ignorance." Darling looked disgustedly at Elise.

"And as for you—" She pointed at Amelia, "—don't think you're in the clear just because you refused to kill a bunny when you were fourteen. You tell me when using illicit methods for selfish gains is acceptable in society. That's the problem with the Bauhinias—you never stop to think about how your actions affect the innocent, or how the public will suffer as well—not just the target you're assigned to take down." Darling glared at Amelia.

"You both are so enclosed in your own little bubbles. You believe those around you possess clear consciences or a basic moral compass, or at least the authority to give you instructions to carry out. Unfortunately, real life is callous and harsh. People will seize any opportunity to take advantage of you. I'd say both of you deserve this jail time for the lesson you've learned and the legacy you're carrying."

Amelia looked at the metal bars around her and thought about what had happened before her encounter with the security guards. When was the last time she had thought about whether someone deserved to be harmed—by her, no less? Amelia never questioned Ah Ba's assignments after her failed mission. Was it out of fear? Most likely.

Amelia had rarely felt sympathy for her victims afterward, so she had been surprised at herself for feeling sorry for Elise. Maybe it was because Elise wasn't involved in her father's schemes, so she was considered an innocent third party.

Amelia didn't know why she had conflicting ideas. She'd never had to think about her moral integrity too much—when the Bauhinias told you to do something, you did it without question. This had been repeated to her far too many times.

The young woman knew she was being used—she just didn't realize how drastically it had changed her perceptions. Amelia knew she had to escape the Bauhinias—especially Ah Ba—and their harsh regulations that offered no room to question authority, but she didn't have an apparent reason as to why she had to regain her moral integrity. And to do that, she had to become the queen and not stay as a simple pawn in the game.

Still, she wondered, how will I ever know if I'm doing the right thing?

"Listen." Darling began to speak again after eyeing the women in front of her. "I'll confess that I've been working with the Cantonesian Secret Intelligence for around three years. We've been tracking Governor Lau's illegal activities, and this heist gave the Intelligence and me all the evidence we needed. I suppose you both helped us slightly, but that doesn't mean it erases all your faults. I never switched off the security cameras, so we have footage of you assaulting the security guards. I'll see what the Intelligence says about you both breaking and entering restricted areas. Still, we had already hacked into the Governor's system and figured out the passcodes prior to your heist."

Amelia scoffed. "And to think you were on our side all along."

Darling chuckled. "Sometimes it's surprising how naive you are. You could say I'm bitter, but it's the sad truth. You ended up in this holding cell, not because I manipulated you to live effortlessly, not because I exposed the structural injustice with the Bauhinias, but because of your foolishness and oblivious attitude toward life. Both of you ought to be ashamed for never once stopping to care about how others feel and how the innocent shouldn't pay the price."

"Knowing you both," Darling snarled, "you'll probably forget about this once your dads pay the bail money. Oh wait—your fathers aren't here to save you this time. Poor Governor Lau will be behind bars for a decade when the sun rises, and the leader of the Bauhinias is already dead."

"Ah Ba—dead?" Amelia's head snapped up, and she narrowed her eyes at Darling. "The Intelligence must have done something with him."

Darling shook her head. "No, not at all. We received a report a day ago from a confidential source, saying that he died from a gunshot to the head in a successful assassination attempt."

"And why should I choose to believe you?"

"Because I have the report right here," Darling said, taking out a thin piece of paper from her Gucci purse (no doubt a gift from Elise).

Amelia walked up to the edge of the holding cell and inspected the writing, then stepped back in shock.

"My father's dead."

A wave of emotions washed over the young woman, but she couldn't decide what she felt. Was she elated that her captor had finally released his iron grip on her life? Was she devastated that she lost her only father figure? One thing was for sure: Amelia felt no need to avenge Ah Ba's death. Sure, shady organization bosses were usually met with this fate. However, Ah Ba had never shown any tolerance for Amelia. She wasn't about to reciprocate nonexistent feelings.

On top of that, an inevitable question remained: If Ah Ba was out of the way, would Amelia return to the Bauhinias? She was the rightful heiress, after all.

Amelia shook her head. She had to focus on escaping first, then worrying about the future. It was a bad habit of hers that she had to eliminate.

Maybe Ah Ba's death could save me. The gears in her head began turning. This could be my ticket to freedom.

"You must allow me to return home to properly mourn and bury my father." Amelia stood up. "It's a matter of honor and devotion."

"Like you had any respect for him." Darling rolled her eyes. "Both of you have obviously not listened to what I've told you. You only want to escape since you believe you aren't wrong. That's why you're staying put."

Darling exited the room with a shake of her head and a sharp turn on her heel. She closed the door with a solid bang, and Amelia and Elise heard the lock click. The click echoed across the empty space, reminding the duo that any escape attempt would most likely be futile...

"I know a way out," Elise remarked casually.

*Elise's Chinese name is Lau Ga Yuet.

Word Count: 1814

(A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! A few more chapters to go and then we'll be wrapping up this adventure.)

(PS: Do tell me if this chapter and its transitions were a bit too rushed! I'll try my best to slow it down during my next edit if that's the case.)