Billionaire Defiant Wife

Chapter 224: Is Everything Okay?

"You've known me in the most intimate sense," Gabrielle says, feeling her ears go red.

"Who was it who called the police and got us into this mess?" Jackson asks.

"I did," Gabrielle whispers.

"And who keeps accusing me of rape?" Jackson asks.

"It's me," Gabrielle says. "And you know the charges are true."

"Let me get this straight, you want me to bail you out, and at the same time you're accusing me of rape?" Jackson asks with a mean smirk. "Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because somewhere buried deep beneath all your arrogance and attitude, you have a conscience," Gabrielle says. "I looked after you for months, and you took advantage of me the whole time. You lied about your amnesia, you stole my money, and now youwell, the least you can do is get me out of here."

"How do you know I lied about my amnesia?" Jackson asks.

"If you were telling the truth, you wouldn't remember your favorite restaurant or Jessica's name," Gabrielle says. 

"Well, you're not as stupid as you look," Jackson says.

The door flew open, and high heels clatter across the floor. Gabrielle turns her head and sees a woman dressed in a low-cut red tank top. The woman's breasts bounce as she runs across the room, and her hair flies out behind herthe woman is like a fireball. 

"Darling, I missed you so much," the woman says, throwing herself at Jackson. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Who are you?" Jackson asks, trying to push her away with the hand free from the handcuffs.

"What do you mean? I'm Jessica Cliffordyour wife," Jessica says. "What's the matter with you? I know I made a mistake, but I'm so, so sorry, and I know we can work this out."

So this is the Jessica he was talking about, Gabrielle thinks. I can't believe he's married to Jessica Clifford. Gabrielle looks at the woman and wonders how she's related to Andrew. If Andrew is like ice, this Jessica is pure fire. Suddenly, Jessica turns and glares at Gabrielle. 

"Are you the filthy whore who seduced him?" Jessica asks.

"No, no," Gabrielle says, shaking her head. "I-I didn't."

Jessica pulls her arm back and slaps Gabrielle across the cheek. The slap stings and Jessica's long nails scrape the skin. Gabrielle raises her hand in front of her face to defend herself, but she's helpless as long as she's handcuffed to the table.

"How dare you seduce my man," Jessica says. "You need to learn a lesson about playing with things that aren't yours."

Jessica raises her hand to slap Gabrielle again, but Jackson grabs her wrist and forces her hand back down to her side. Gabrielle shoots Jackson a questioning look. Jessica pouts her lips and stamps her high-heeled shoes.

"This woman deserved that," Jessica says to Jackson. "Why would you stop me? Do you have feelings for her?"  

"We're in a police station," Jackson says, rolling his eyes. "Slapping people in front of police officers and cameras is a terrible idea. Stop acting like such a spoiled brat."

"I'm not acting like a spoiled brat," Jessica shouts. "Why are you defending her? This woman seduced you, and she deserves every slap I give her and more!"

"Bail her out too," Jackson says.

"What?" Jessica hisses, her eyes flashed dangerously. 

"You heard me," Jackson says. "If you don't bail her out, I won't leave."

"Jackson Oliver, stop talking like that," Jessica screams.

Gabrielle freezes. The name Jackson Oliver sounds so familiar, but she can't remember why. The atmosphere in the room feels tense and charged. Gabrielle's face burns from the slap. She twists her fingers together and chews her lip. 

"You can't let Jackson leave," Gabrielle says to the officer. "I want to charge him with fraud."

Jackson stretches his long legs and pushes his curly hair away from his eyes. The diamond stud in his ear sparkles. He locks eyes with Gabrielle, and his pale blue eyes stare deeply into hers.

"I plead guilty," he says with a small shrug.

Gabrielle gaspsshe can't believe he's confessing. Jessica grabs Jackson's shoulder and digs her nails into it. The police officer raises his eyebrows but unlocks Jackson's handcuff.

"That's another matter altogether," the officer says. "If this woman wants to press charges, she'll have to follow the steps. Until then, you're free to go, Mr. Oliver."

"What about me?" Gabrielle asks.

"We've called someone from your family, and they'll be here soon," the officer says.

Avery storms into the police station, and she has no idea why her little sister has been arrested for prostitution. Gabrielle is timid and inexperiencedshe still blushes when a man touches her arm. There's no way she was selling sex in a hotel bedroom.

Avery marches up to the front desk and asks for the officer to explain everything to her. Before the man can begin, a whirlwind of red comes flying out of the interrogation room. She's tugging a tall man behind her, but she freezes when she sees Avery.

"Hmm, I guess you're prettier in person," Jessica says.

"I'm sorry, do we know each other?" Avery asks.

Jessica smirks and ignores the question. She tugs Jackson's hand and nods meaningfully at the police officer behind the desk. Avery doesn't see her snap a secret photo, and she has no idea that Jessica sends the photo to Andrew.

The officer leads Avery to the interrogation room. Her heart breaks a little when she sees Gabrielle slumped over in the metal chair. Gabrielle's cheek is red and scratched, and her eyes were wet as if she's been crying.

"Oh, Gabrielle, what happened to you?" Avery asks. "The officers told me you were involved in some sort of prostitution scandal. I don't understand how that's possible."

"Oh, it's you, thank God," Gabrielle says. "It was all a misunderstanding."

"You were arrested over a misunderstanding?" Avery asks. "You know what, you can explain it all to me later." She turns to the officer, "How do I bail her out?"

"It's a complicated situation," the officer says. "The evidence is incomplete, and the witness statements aren't matching up. We need to conduct a thorough investigation before we can release her."

"What's the evidence, and who's the witness?" Avery asks.

"The witness had been bailed out," the officer says.

"That's not fair," Gabrielle says. "He pled guilty. You heard him!"

"Our society is governed by law," the officer says with a nasty smile. "We're going to conduct this investigation as we see fit. If you have a problem with that, I'll let my boss know that you're difficult."

"How much does it cost to bail her out?" Avery asks.

"Lady, you misunderstand," the officer says. "Miss Peters isn't going anywhere until we say so."

Avery grits her teeth and balls her hands into fists, but the officer seems to be making things difficult for her and Gabrielle. She wonders if the woman in red bribed the officer. She's heard all kinds of stories about police corruption, and she knows that the police are famous for taking bribes. If the woman in red bribed them, the officers might even become violent.

Avery has heard stories about interrogations went wrong. Someone gets arrested, and when they leave, they've suffered terrible injuries. They say that the officers shone lasers into their eyes and hit them in ways that don't leave bruises. Usually, the people confess even if they didn't commit any crimes. Avery wonders if they plan to torture Gabrielle.

An officer unlocks Gabrielle's handcuff and takes her away to another room. Avery watches her go and sees the panic in her sister's eyes. She grabs the officer by the arm, and the man shakes her off with a grunt of disgust.

"What are you going to do to her?" Avery asks.

"Lady, let go and leave me alone," the officer says. "If you cause any trouble, I'm going to arrest you for obstructing justice."

Two uniformed policemen stand up and grab Avery by the arms. Their breath smells stale, and their hands are greasy. 

"Let me go!" Avery screams. "I'm pregnant, and my husband will be very upset if anything happens to the child."

"Lady, you're free to leave at any time," the officer says. "The sooner you get out of here, the better."

"I'm not leaving without my sister," Avery says.

"Fine, you can stay," the officer says. He nods at the men holding Avery, "Take her away."

"Wait!" Avery shouts, "I want to call my lawyer! It's my right to call my lawyer and ask him to come here. You can't talk to my sister or me without my lawyer here."

"I don't think you understand the situation," the officer says with an ugly smile.

"No, I don't think you understand the situation," Avery says. "If anything happens to my sister or me, there will be serious consequences. You'll be lucky if you just lose your job. Do you understand me?"

"You're crazy," the officer says. "In this police station, I am the law, and threats from some crazy woman with a prostitute sister won't change that."

Avery stares at the man. One of his teeth has a cold filling, and it glints in the light. She decides to change her tactic.

"Okay, I understand," she says. "Please let me go."

The officers release her. She turns around and runs toward the cell where they've taken Gabrielle. Someone grabs her arm from behind and hits her across the face. Her neck snaps to the side, and she tastes blood. Another officer slaps her, and she falls to the ground. A shiny black boot hovers above her abdomen.