Arius POV
"Everyone on the ground! Now!"
The police officer's order cut through the night air like a sword. I watched as chaos erupted around me - officers yelling, families scattering, red and blue lights flashing across the dark water.
But all I could focus on was Selene's hand in mine.
"Don't let go," I whispered to her as cops surrounded us.
"I won't," she whispered back.
"Arius Blackwood and Selene Moonstone, you're under arrest for conspiracy to commit terrorism," the lead officer stated.
My heart stopped. "What? That's impossible!"
"Tell it to the judge," the cop said, pulling out handcuffs.
"Wait!" Maya stepped forward, holding up her recording device. "I have evidence that will prove their innocence!"
"Ma'am, step back. We'll review any proof at the station."
"You don't understand," Maya insisted. "The real criminal is right there!" She pointed at Marcus Moonstone.
But when we all turned to look, Marcus was gone.
"Where is he?" Lady Valeria spun around furiously. "He was right here!"
The cop looked confused. "Who was right here?"
"Marcus Moonstone," I said. "Selene's father. He's been living this whole time. He planned everything!"
The officer's face told me he thought I was crazy. "Sir, Marcus Moonstone died five years ago. We have death certificates."
"He faked his death!" Selene cried. "He just admitted it to all of us!"
"Miss, you're obviously shocked by tonight's events. Let's get you to the hospital for a check-up."
I couldn't believe what was happening. Marcus had disappeared like smoke, and now the police thought we were making him up.
"Officer," my father stepped forward, "I need to confess something."
"Father, don't," I warned.
But he ignored me. "Five years ago, I made some bad choices regarding a business deal. I let innocent people get hurt, and I let the Moonstone family take the blame. Tonight's attack was someone's revenge for that."
The officer was taking notes now, looking more interested.
"However," my father added, "my son had nothing to do with my past mistakes. Neither did Miss Moonstone. They're both innocent."
"That may be true, sir, but we have evidence suggesting otherwise."
"What evidence?" I asked.
The officer showed us a phone. On the screen was a text message thread between two numbers.
"These are your phone numbers, correct?" he asked, showing the texts to Selene and me.
I read the messages and my blood turned cold: "Everything is set for tonight. The bombs will go off exactly as planned."
"Good. Make sure both families get blamed."
"Don't worry. By tomorrow, the Blackwoods and Moonstones will destroy each other."
"I never sent those texts," I said instantly.
"Neither did I," Selene added.
"The phone records say otherwise," the officer responded. "These messages were sent from your personal devices."
I pulled out my phone and checked my message history. The words weren't there.
"These are fake," I said. "Someone copied our phone numbers and made fake conversations."
"Sir, that's quite a sophisticated conspiracy theory."
"It's not a theory!" Selene said desperately. "Someone has been planning this for years! They've been setting us up!"
That's when Maya spoke up again. "Officer, I recorded the entire conversation that just took place. Marcus Moonstone admits to faking his death, planning tonight's attack, and framing both families."
"Ma'am, we'll need to check that recording in our lab. Until then, these young people are coming with us."
As they put shackles on me, I felt like the world was spinning out of control. Everything Marcus had said about having a great plan was coming true. Even caught red-handed, he'd managed to run and leave us holding the bag.
"Arius," Selene called as they led her toward a police car.
"I'll find a way to prove our innocence," I called back. "I promise."
But as they put me in the back of another police car, I wondered how I could keep that promise from jail.
The ride to the police station felt like the longest of my life. I kept thinking about everything that had happened - the attack at the ball, the fake bombs, Marcus's shocking return from the dead, and now these fake text messages.
Someone had been planning this for years, watching both our families, learning our phone numbers, studying our habits. They knew exactly how to exploit us and exactly how to frame us.
But there was one thing they hadn't counted on - Selene and I standing together instead of letting our families' hate tear us apart.
At the police station, they put me in a small room with a table and two chairs. The walls were dark and cold, and there was a big mirror that I knew people were watching through.
A cop came in after an hour. He was older, with tired eyes and a coffee-stained shirt.
"I'm Detective Morrison," he said, sitting across from me. "Want to tell me what really happened tonight?"
"I already told the officers at the pier. Someone has been setting up both our families."
"Someone who's been dead for five years?" " He faked his death. We all saw him. "
The agent opened a file folder. "Mr. Blackwood, I've been investigating your family and the Moonstones for months. Ever since we got anonymous tips about suspicious behavior."
"Anonymous tips from who?"
"Someone who claimed both families were planning terrorist attacks against each other."
My stomach dropped. "When did these tips start?"
"About six months ago."
Six months. Marcus had been planning this for at least that long, possibly longer.
"What kind of information did the tipster give you?"
"Details about your business deals. Photos of secret talks. Financial records showing suspicious buying."
"What kind of purchases?"
Detective Morrison showed me a paper. It was a ticket for chemicals that could be used to make bombs. The name at the bottom was mine.
"I never bought those chemicals," I said instantly.
"The store clerk recognized you from a photo. Said you paid in cash and seemed nervous."
Someone who looked like me. Or maybe Marcus had paid someone to impersonate me.
"Detective, someone has been imitating me. And possibly Selene too. You need to check security cameras from that store."
"We did. The person who bought the drugs had your face, your voice, even your signature."
I stared at him in shock. "That's impossible."
"Is it? With today's technology, it's not that hard to fake someone's look on video."
Finally, an adult who was listening to reason.
"So you believe me?"
Detective Morrison leaned back in his chair. "I believe someone has been playing a very long game. The question is who."
"It's Marcus Moonstone. He's living, and he's been planning this for years."
"Here's the problem with that theory," the detective said. "We've been watching the Moonstone family for months. If Marcus was living, we would have seen some sign of him."
"Unless he's been very careful."
"Careful enough to stay hidden from skilled investigators for five years? While also planning elaborate revenge schemes?" The detective shook his head. "That would take resources, connections, and skills that most people don't have."
Something about the way he said that made my skin crawl.
"Detective, what kind of person would have those resources?"
"Someone with money, power, and friends in high places. Someone who knows how the system works."
"Like who?"
Detective Morrison was quiet for a long moment. Then he said something that made my blood freeze.
"Like a police officer who's been investigating this case for months. Someone who would know exactly how to frame two families and make it look believable."
I stared at him in horror. "Are you saying...?"
"I'm saying Marcus Moonstone isn't working alone. He has help from inside the police department."
"How do you know?"
The detective smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile.
"Because I'm the one who's been helping him."