"You still pushed her," the tall woman said coldly, throwing her under the bus without hesitation.

‎The short-haired woman turned on her. "You told me to scare her!"

‎"I said nothing of the sort!"

‎"You said she needed to be taught a lesson!"

‎The room went still.

‎Even the officer’s expression changed slightly.

‎I felt my heartbeat quicken.

‎"So," the officer said slowly, "this was intentional intimidation?"

‎"No!" the tall woman said quickly, but her voice lacked its earlier confidence. "We were just talking—things got out of hand!"

‎"Talking?" I repeated softly, looking at them.

‎Both of them froze.

‎"You call that talking?" I continued, my voice calm—but colder than before. "Surrounding me. Insulting me. Closing in when I told you to stop."

‎The short-haired woman looked away.

‎The tall woman clenched her fists.

‎"You knew I couldn’t swim," I added quietly.

‎That made them both look up.

‎Fear flickered across their faces.

‎"You heard me say it," I said. "And you still didn’t stop."

‎Silence.

‎Heavy.

‎Suffocating.

‎"I... I didn’t think you’d actually fall," the short-haired woman whispered, her voice breaking. "I just—"

‎"You just what?" Alexander’s voice cut in suddenly.

‎Cold.

‎Sharp.

‎Dangerous.

‎Everyone turned.

‎His expression was unreadable—but his eyes were anything but calm.

‎"You ’just’ decided to push her?" he continued, his tone low. "Into a lake?"

‎The short-haired woman shrank back in her seat.

‎"I—it was a mistake—"

‎"A mistake?" he repeated.

‎There was something in his voice now—something restrained.

‎Something dangerous.

‎"If something had happened to her," he said slowly, "would that still be a mistake? And you even consider yourself part of the Blackwood family"

‎No one spoke.

‎The room felt colder.

‎"I suggest you think very carefully before you answer again, because there’s no way you can get away with attacking someone from the main family" he added.

‎The tall woman looked shaken now, her earlier arrogance completely gone.

‎"We didn’t mean for it to go that far," she said quickly. "We were just carried away by the moment—"

‎"carried away ?" Alexander let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "So that justifies it?"

‎"No—no, that’s not what I meant—"

‎"Then what did you mean?" he pressed.

‎She fell silent.

‎For the first time since walking in, I felt something shift.

‎Not in the room—

‎But beside me.

‎Alexander stepped slightly closer.

‎Not touching me.

‎But close enough.

‎A silent presence.

‎A line drawn.

‎The officer cleared his throat, stepping back in. "Based on the statements given, this will be recorded as intentional harassment resulting in bodily harm. Further charges may apply depending on the final report."

‎The short-haired woman’s face went pale. "W-wait... charges?"

‎The tall woman grabbed her arm. "Say something!"

‎But there was nothing left to say.

‎They had already said too much.

‎"I’ve had enough," I said, turning to the officer. "Please, can we wrap this up? I’d like to leave."

"Of course, ma’am."

It didn’t take long to conclude everything.

The moment we stepped out of the station and got into the car, Alexander spoke. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Are you okay?"

I simply nodded.

He studied me for a moment before asking, "You said you had plans today. What are you going to do?"

I met his gaze calmly. "I’m going to hang out with a friend."

I noticed the subtle shift in his expression—his eyes darkened slightly, his fingers tapping absently against the car door.

"Is that friend Aiden?" he asked.

I was momentarily surprised that he brought up Aiden, but I didn’t let it show.

"Is there a problem with that?"

"Alicia," he said, his tone measured, "I know you like him. But with his status, there are always paparazzi around. You should stay away from him. If you’re photographed together, you need to be prepared for the consequences."

A soft breath escaped me, something between a scoff and a laugh.