Chapter 98
Maya White and the young man were escorted into the police station by the officers.
In the interrogation room, an officer slammed the wallet onto the table. With the stolen goods right there, no amount of pleading innocence would help Maya. Every witness had seen the wallet pulled from beneath her bundle.
"Officer, my grandmother is still in the hospital..." Maya sobbed pitifully.
Given her youth and first-time offense, the police decided to be lenient. She’d be released as soon as her family paid the fine.
When Jack White and his wife, Clara, arrived at the station, their faces were ashen. Learning that Maya had stolen five hundred dollars—their life savings—nearly made them faint on the spot.
"Officer, I swear I didn’t steal—" Maya still tried to deny it.
"Enough!" The officer smacked the table impatiently. "A hundred-dollar fine. Pay up and leave."
Jack clenched his jaw as he handed over the money. There was no choice—he couldn’t let her spend the holidays in custody. The village gossips would drown them in scandal.
Once outside, Maya’s legs nearly gave out. She stole glances at her father’s stormy expression and shrank back.
Clara seized her wrist. "Try running again, and your father will break your legs!"
The ride back to the village was silent, Jack’s fury palpable. Maya huddled in the corner, not daring to make a sound.
Chaos awaited them at home. Ethan and his brother had just brought their grandmother back from the hospital, only to find an empty water jug and a cold stove.
"Maya! Where the hell have you been?" Ethan roared at the sight of his sister.
Jack grabbed a fire poker from behind the door and dragged Maya inside.
"Worthless thief!" The rod whistled through the air before striking. "Stealing money! Getting arrested! You’ve shamed our family!"
Maya gasped in pain but bit back her cries. The look in her father’s eyes said he might actually kill her.
Clara intervened at the last moment. "Hitting her too hard will just cost us more in doctor’s fees..."
Jack threw the poker aside, breathing hard. "How much is left?"
Clara rushed into the bedroom and let out a piercing scream. The locked chest had been pried open—empty.
"You wretched girl!" Clara lunged at Maya, clawing at her. "That was your brother’s dowry money!"
Ethan and his brother’s sympathy vanished in an instant. Now they wanted to kick her themselves.
Maya curled into a ball in the corner, her body burning. When Jack raised the poker again, she knew he meant to beat her to death.
In that split second, she screamed, "I’ll marry him! I’ll marry Frank Harris! You can have all the dowry money!"
Silence fell. Jack’s arm froze mid-swing, his expression unreadable.
Seizing the chance, Maya crawled forward and clutched his leg. "Dad, the Harris family is offering two hundred dollars..."
Ethan and his brother exchanged glances and stepped back. Two hundred dollars could buy them two brides.
Slowly, Jack lowered the poker and hissed through gritted teeth, "We’ll arrange the betrothal with the Harris family tomorrow."
Maya collapsed to the floor, her back drenched in cold sweat. She clenched her fists in secret—surviving tonight was all that mattered. As for the Harris family? She’d find a way out later.