Overwhelmed with fear, Daniel handed over two hundred dollars, everything he had saved. Lowell took the money and dismissed him without another word.
Then Alicia was summoned.
Lowell stared at her coldly. “Two hundred and you can leave.”
“I will not pay you,” Alicia replied calmly. “I have done nothing wrong, and neither did the driver.”
Lowell slammed his hand on the desk and shouted for an officer. “Put her in the holding cell.”
Alicia did not resist as she was locked inside. She stood quietly, her expression focused, knowing that every minute strengthened what was about to happen.
Less than an hour later, a black government vehicle arrived outside the station. Urban Oversight Director Samuel Greene stepped inside, his presence immediately changing the atmosphere. He demanded to know why a woman had been detained without charges.
When he saw Alicia in the cell, recognition hit him instantly.
He turned on Lowell. “Do you understand who you detained.”
The cell was opened at once. Alicia stepped out and calmly recounted everything that had happened, from the roadside stop to the bribe demands and the threats. Greene listened in silence, then made several calls.
Internal Affairs was notified. Surveillance footage was secured. Call records were preserved. Written statements were taken.
By morning, senior officials filled the station. Lowell was arrested in front of his colleagues, handcuffs closing around his wrists as his authority disappeared.
Alicia stood beside Daniel as justice finally moved forward.
“This city belongs to its people,” she said quietly. “Not to those who abuse power.”
