Even in this situation, he didn’t forget about my safety. He didn’t go to Tess, but he came to me…A warm sensation spread across my heart.

Once we were inside, I created some distance between us. The officer behind the big desk was on his feet as soon as we strolled in, or should I say, Achilles Valencian, walked in. Because the draining color from his face was instant.

Carter and a middle-aged man in a black coat and a white shirt with some files in his hand—maybe the lawyer—were already present.

Tess rushed to Caleb, who stood behind the iron bars. With a disheveled shirt, messy hair, and dimmed eyes, he looked shaken. When Tess reached him, he wrapped his arms around her as much as he could with the bars in between.

“Oh God! Are you all right, baby?” she asked, eyes sparkling with tears.

He nodded, kissing her hands. “Yes, I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Even after his assurance, there was an edge in his voice. “Achilles is here. He’ll get me out of here. Everything will be fine.”

“How did it happen? Why did they arrest you?” she asked, wiping her wet cheeks.

A long sigh left him as he rubbed his face. “They found drugs in the trunk of my car.”

Both of us gasped at that.

“Drugs? But how did they get into your car?” I queried.

“I don’t know. They stopped my car on the street out of nowhere and started searching. When they found them in the trunk, they brought me here,” he replied.

“I don’t believe this! Someone is trying to frame you!” Anger flashed in Tess’s irises.

“I know. But they won’t just listen to anything I say.”

“Why don’t you sit first, Mr. Valencian. We can talk then.” The timid voice of the officer made me turn around.

With hands in his pockets, Ace stood before the desk, melting the officer under his steely gaze. “Why don’t you release my cousin first? I’m not here to chat with you. Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

“Yes, yes, of course.” The officer eagerly nodded and instructed one of his men to let Caleb out. “I’m extremely sorry, Mr. Valencian. I just got here and found out our junior officer charged your cousin with possession of a controlled substance. If I knew earlier, I wouldn’t have let him do it.”

The moment he mentioned drugs, the sudden stiffness of Ace’s shoulders didn’t go missed by me. But he managed a blank face.

“Then what was he still doing behind the bars when I came here? I believe my assistant and lawyer arrived before me. Am I right? What were you doing until then?” He cocked his head, a muscle of his jaw ticked.