"Where has the body gone? It should be here," Evelyn murmured to herself, her voice trembling and stuttering. Her entire body, including her lips, shook with fear. She hadn't anticipated such a shocking turn of events; she had expected to find evidence for her daughter but instead faced a devastating surprise. It was as if a boat had almost reached the shore, but just before it could drop anchor, a powerful wave struck and pulled it into the sea.

Mr. Collins instructed his juniors, "Please focus the lights and camera inside it," and they obeyed his order immediately.

"All of you can see that, following Mrs. Evelyn Taylor's request to find something useful for her daughter's innocence, we re-entered Snyder Villa in the darkness of the night. We broke all the rules to open the garden storage bench in an effort to give her a chance to prove her point about her child's sake. However, upon opening it, we found only pruners, trowels, gloves, small shovels, a watering can, bird feeders, seeds, and numerous planters and pots—nothing of real use.

This suggests that Mrs. Taylor unfortunately lost her mental balance after receiving two enormous shocks regarding her husband and daughter's miserable fates within a few days. Her mind began to create delusions to protect her loved ones, driven by her imagination rather than awareness. I apologize to our higher authorities and the citizens of New York for breaking the rules. I believe the rational and kind-hearted people of New York City will understand the situation despite the laws. Once again, I am sorry for my actions, and I will accept the consequences for my deeds." After narrating the circumstances, he looked at the female police officer, who instantly stopped the recording.

"Mrs. Taylor, let's get out of here; it could be..." Mrs. Collins was forced to stop when he noticed Evelyn's facial expressions and body language. They clearly indicated that she was not listening, as she was caught up in her own thoughts and lacked the mental stability to make any decisions for herself.

As a consequence, Mr. Collins grabbed her shoulders and shook her forcefully, trying to bring her back to reality as quickly as possible. "Are you listening to me?" he asked in a loud, serious voice, continuing to shake her.

Evelyn flinched at his words. Then, looking directly into his eyes, she spoke in a stuttering tone, her face marked by the fear of losing her chance for her daughter's sake. "Mr. Collins, please believe me, I'm not lying. Vinson's body should be here because Leo killed him, and it's true that Olivia shot her husband to bring justice to that poor soul." Her bitter confession about her daughter's life left everyone speechless. In that moment, she forgot the promise she had made to Olivia in the parking lot of C.N. Hospital.

"What? What are you saying, Mrs. Taylor? Where did this guy named Vinson come from? I think you’re confused. It was Edric Bowen who took the bullet to save your daughter’s life during the conflict between the husband and wife, and he tragically died in the hospital." Mr. Collins said with a serious expression, tinged with nervousness as he worried about her mental state.

"Okay, okay, I'm trying to explain everything, but..." Evelyn couldn’t finish her sentence because Mr. Collins’s attention shifted to his cell phone, which had started vibrating in the female police officer's hand. He took the phone and answered the call.

After hearing something, his eyes widened, revealing that anxiety had taken over his mind. He ended the call, put his cell phone into his uniform pocket, and took out a handkerchief. Then, locking his gaze on the trespasser, he sighed deeply, a look of helplessness in his eyes, and said with guilt, "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Taylor, but I have no other choice. Please forgive me."

Evelyn was confused by his statement. Before she could understand the true meaning of the officer's enigmatic words, Mr. Collins signaled to two of his junior officers, who stepped forward and held her arms in a tight grip.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked, looking puzzled.

Mr. Collins unfolded the handkerchief and began spinning it by holding two of its corners. It quickly became long enough to bind someone's mouth so they couldn't make any sound. He then placed the middle of the hankie in her mouth and securely tied the two corners behind her head. Evelyn struggled to free her mouth and her handcuffed hands, but her attempts were in vain, and only a faint whine escaped.

"The reporters cars have already crossed the M.R. Road signal, so we need to leave within the next five minutes if we want to avoid unnecessary drama. Take her to the police van, and I'll accompany her since her car has already been moved to the police station." Mr. Collins issued the command, and they began walking back the way they had come, dragging the trespasser with them and moving quickly.

"Please, Mrs. Taylor, cooperate with us. Just run!" Mr. Collins pleaded as he led the way. The trespasser stopped struggling and began running as fast as she could to keep up with them.

As a result, they exited the villa within two minutes and ran toward the police van, which was parked far from the villa and in the opposite direction of Evelyn's car. They got into the van with the female police officers, and the driver immediately started the engine. Within seconds, the van sped toward the police station, taking a different route to avoid the reporters cars.

Meanwhile, the other police officers locked the gate as it had been before, hurriedly got into their van, and successfully headed toward the same destination.

                                     ***

The police van was speeding along, with Evelyn sitting between the two female officers and Mr. Collins seated across from them. After taking a few deep breaths, Mr. Collins turned his attention to the trespasser and saw that she was struggling to catch her breath through her tied mouth.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Taylor," Mr. Collins said as he immediately untied the hankie. Evelyn began to pant, closing her eyes and leaning her head back to fill her lungs with air.

"I don't want you to meet the selfish people who were indirectly responsible for Mr. Whitley's accident." He spoke with a stern expression, his eyes fixed on her.

In response, Evelyn opened her eyes and looked straight at him with a questioning gaze.

Mr. Collins poked his right cheek with his tongue and licked his lips before speaking. "The reporters were asking him about Olivia's actions, but he lost his patience when they began disparaging his daughter's character. They seized every opportunity to tarnish the incident with their dirty imaginations—accusing Olivia of everything from a troubled relationship with her husband to an extramarital affair with his friend Edric Bowen. Sir responded angrily and headed toward the police station. Unfortunately, he was forced to meet with an accident because his mind was preoccupied with those harsh, cheap words about his beloved daughter, causing him to neglect his safety while driving." He paused, redirecting his gaze to the right as he wiped away his tears.

"He wasn't just one of my seniors. From the first day I joined his team, I saw him as an elder brother—a role model. My whole life, I tried my best to make him proud because whenever he placed his trust in me without hesitation, it made me so happy. He always reminded me of my elder brother, who died at the age of twenty-eight from an unknown fever, just a week before I joined the NYC police department. His name was Ronaldo Collins. I'm so sorry I couldn't save my brother again, and I've failed to save his child too." With those words, he broke down into tears, overwhelmed by guilt.

Evelyn let out a bitter chuckle in response, then wiped her tears from her cheeks with her handcuffed hands, using the handkerchief given to her by the female police officer sitting beside her. With a runny nose, she said, "Control yourself, Mr. Collins. We are cops, and we have no right to cry. People think we're made of iron, not human flesh. That's why they didn't care when they made those vile comments about my daughter and husband." She paused, trying to regain control of her emotions.

"The world is full of discrimination everywhere, where people cling to their own irrational beliefs, imaginary illusions, or lies instead of seeking the actual truth. That's why I don't expect anything from anyone. Yet, I've spent years trying to protect these people, even at the risk of my team members lives, including my own, by bending numerous rules. But when I needed their help to save my family, they refused to assist me. Instead, they didn't hesitate to label me a criminal for breaking their fucking rules," she said in a serious yet mocking tone.

Mr. Collins wiped away his tears and asked her with a curious yet tense expression, "Do you know anything about the situation in London?"

Evelyn smiled and replied with sarcasm, "Although my people tried hard to hide the news from me so I could focus on my work here, I already know about the punishment. To be honest, I expected this from the very beginning when I hijacked the jet to come here. Every government has one rule—they just want to use us to maintain the appearance of integrity in their corrupt departments so their reputation isn’t questioned by their citizens."

She paused again for a few seconds, taking deep breaths. Then, all of a sudden, a spark of anger ignited in her eyes, and her face flushed with fury as she recalled something. With hatred in her voice and vengeance in her heart, she said through gritted teeth, clenching the handkerchief in her fist, "But I never expected that one of our old friends, who unfortunately became one of our enemies, could go so far as to use his power and connections to take revenge on us. He didn't even hesitate to have my daughter sentenced to a dangerous prison for ten years, just because the judge was on his side."

After hearing her statement, everyone was stunned. The female officers exchanged silent, confused, and curious glances with one another, while Mr. Collins's tense expression shifted to one of shock.

"What?" he exclaimed loudly. "The judge was biased? Who was the culprit behind it? In whose favor did he declare the punishment against Olivia?" He bombarded her with questions, feeling a whirlwind of emotions—curiosity, anxiety, confusion, and shock.

"Judge Nicholas Stewart is Mr. Drake Wilson's father-in-law, and the most surprising fact is that they had been successfully hiding this truth from everyone from the beginning," she replied directly.

"Oh my God, I can't believe this," one of the female officers uttered with a shocked expression, her mouth and eyes wide. It looked as if discovering a horribly bruised dead body in front of her would not have shocked her more than she was now.

"He was the one who gave us the order to submit all the reports within the next twelve hours so that no one could harm Olivia, as she had many enemies. First, her parents are cops, and second, her in-laws are powerful and made many enemies after leaving the Flame Group, especially the late Mr. Liam Snyder, one of the richest people in NYC. Even though the judge sentenced her to ten years in prison immediately after her confession about killing her husband, we thought it was better for her to receive the punishment on the same day. If she had been given a later date for declaring her punishment, she would have had to stay in a police cell, which could have been dangerous for her—she might have been attacked by someone. So we believed the judge did the right thing by not delaying the declaration of her sentence.

But I must admit, I was shocked and confused when I heard she would be sent to Abyss Hill Prison. One thing kept nagging at me—why did the judge choose that dangerous prison for her, and why did Mr. Wilson get angry at me when I gave Olivia a chance to run away from the court premises to see her father? Does this mean that all the allegations reported by Mili Jonson on the court premises that day were true?" He asked with a devastated expression, mixed with guilt over his quick submission of the report. He felt betrayed by his senior, which led to a life being sent to hell and, most importantly, a failure to see the true nature of his senior and the judge, whom he admired after Ronaldo Whitley.

Evelyn nodded in response, and once again, everyone fell silent.

After a couple of minutes of silence, one of the female officers spoke to their senior with a firm expression, "Sir, we need to do something to help Olivia Snyder. Even if we prove that the judge was biased and concealed his relationship with the lead investigator, Mr. Drake Wilson, we can't cancel her punishment because she confessed willingly and chose to accept the consequences for her actions. Therefore, we need to find another way to assist her within Abyss Hill prison so she can serve her time without enduring any harm."

"I don't know what to do now; my mind is completely blank after the betrayal from my superiors," he confessed, rubbing his forehead in frustration and looking down.

But with a swift motion, he lifted his face to meet the trespasser's eyes and said, "Mrs. Taylor, I never imagined something like this could happen, not even in my darkest dreams. I need to know everything. Please tell me the whole truth so we can find a solution before we reach the police station." Mr. Collins expressed his eagerness to learn the truth as soon as possible so he could send help to save Olivia, who was inside the tiger's cave.

In response, Evelyn whispered, "Okay!" She then began narrating everything she had heard from her daughter, along with a few bitter truths about DK's life.

                                  ***

                        Author's Pov

'Two birds with one stone' is a traditional saying known to many around the world and is typically used in a positive or neutral context. It emphasizes efficiency in achieving multiple goals or solving multiple problems with a single action.

However, it's a harsh reality that some selfish and opportunistic individuals use this idiom in a negative way. They attempt to take revenge on two people with a single trick, executing their plans in such a way that their actions go unquestioned, just like 'two birds with one stone.'

This idiom aptly describes the challenges Evelyn and her family were facing at that time, as well as the situation that DK would encounter in the future.

Years ago, a notorious criminal confessed to his crimes, hoping to serve his time and start fresh. However, when the judge postponed sentencing, the man was left vulnerable in a police cell, where he was murdered by enemies with ties to corrupt officers. This miscarriage of justice shocked the public and led to the enactment of a new law, which allowed judges to declare punishment immediately after a confession to prevent such tragedies.

The judge overseeing Olivia's case was no ordinary judge; he was DK's father-in-law, Nicholas Stewart.

DK harbored such deep hatred for Evelyn and her family that he didn't prioritize his wife, Nadia. So she chose the wrong path, and as a result, Dean Wilson entered their lives. To cover up Nadia's greatest mistake, the father-daughter duo spun a web of lies to deceive DK. As expected, Nicholas began cursing Evelyn daily for his daughter's unhappy marriage, particularly focusing on her mistakes.

When Olivia stood before Judge and confessed to killing Leo in self-defense, citing the danger she faced, Nicholas saw an opportunity to exact revenge on behalf of his daughter and son-in-law. Citing precedent, he appeared justified in issuing her sentence without delay.

The law that allowed for immediate sentencing had been designed to protect criminals from the dangers they faced in police custody. But in the hands of this particular judge, it became a tool for retribution. With Olivia's confession and the law on his side, Nicholas seized the moment to achieve his dual objectives.

By swiftly sentencing her to ten years in prison, Nicholas ensured that Olivia would suffer without the chance to prepare or appeal, all while appearing to act within the bounds of the law. The courtroom had no idea that behind the facade of justice, a personal vendetta was being played out.

Not only that, but he also sought retribution against his own son-in-law by sentencing Olivia to ten years in Abyss Hill Prison for not prioritizing his wife, Nadia.

Nicholas knew that when Evelyn discovered DK had used his connections and power to secure Olivia's punishment, she would be furious, like a wounded tigress, and would seek revenge on DK.

As a result, Evelyn and DK would continue their battle for the rest of their lives, ultimately benefiting Nadia's illegitimate child, Dean Wilson.

DK didn't have enough time to think or question his son's Korean appearance. That was why the father-daughter duo sent Dean to South Korea to study when he was twelve. To convince DK, they claimed that keeping Dean close might expose him to danger from their enemies, especially Evelyn. Upon hearing her name, DK immediately agreed to their proposal without further thought.

Nicholas believed he had played the game of 'two birds with one stone' perfectly. However, he had no idea what consequences awaited him and his daughter in the future as a result of their dirty games, because they might have forgotten another saying: 'Karma has no menu. It serves what you deserve.'

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