Chapter47 Framed

Chapter47 Framed
Talia POV
The officers were about to grab me when Vincent and several guards blocked them. "Don't touch our miss!"
As the standoff continued, Jareth walked over to face Tom. "Tom, you dare touch my people?"
Seeing Jareth, Tom's attitude softened slightly, though he held his ground. "Don Jareth, this is standard procedure. Tonight's incident was too serious. The higher-ups are watching. I have no choice."
Jareth replied, "Prosecutor Henry has already opened an investigation into the Casa family for kidnapping and illegal firearms possession. Instead of going after Aron, you come here causing trouble. How much did he pay you?"
Tom's expression changed. He was about to respond when his phone suddenly rang.
He answered, muttering a few words before hanging up. His look toward me had noticeably changed.
“Talia, my apologies. We received incorrect information." Tom put away his notebook. "We're now heading south to arrest Gavin. He's suspected of fabricating evidence, colluding with the Casa family in illegal activities, and involvement in tonight's shooting. We'd appreciate your cooperation in providing some leads."
Jareth and I exchanged glances. We both understood. Aron had dumped all the blame on Gavin.
As expected, as Tom left, he muttered, "Gavin brought this on himself. Multiple charges combined, once he's in, he's not getting out."
I knew this had to be the work of Aron's insider at the police station.
I stood at the manor entrance. After watching Tom and his men leave, Jareth and I returned to the living room together. I sat beside him, wanting to offer comfort but not knowing what to say.
After a long silence, Jareth finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "Why did you hold me back earlier?"
I knew Jareth was talking about how I’d stopped him, how I’d kept him from saving Serafina.
“Don Jareth, I know I shouldn’t go against your wishes, but I couldn’t just stand there and watch you walk into a trap. Aron’s men were still hiding in the dark, and the police were closing in. If you rushed in, you’d be throwing yourself into the lion’s jaws.”
He turned to me, his gaze deep and unreadable. “You’re not afraid I’ll hold it against you?”
I shook my head. “If this was the right choice for you, then I’m not afraid.”
Jareth remained silent.
I knew his heart was conflicted, torn between years of raising her and the reality of her betrayal. But I didn't regret stopping him. I couldn't let him risk himself for someone who'd already betrayed him.
Just then, Vincent called, speaking urgently. "Miss Hayes, we found blood at the forest edge trailing all the way to the roadside. Looks like someone picked Serafina up."
"Who picked her up?" I asked quickly.
"Not clear. There are no cameras on that road. We only found tire tracks, looks like a black SUV." Vincent reported.
I hung up and relayed the information to Jareth.
He frowned. "Whoever picked her up, she's likely still alive. Tell Vincent to follow those tire tracks. We must find her."
"You still want to find her?" I was somewhat surprised.
Jareth said gravely, "She knows too many family secrets. We can't let her fall into Aron's or anyone else's hands. Besides, even though she betrayed me, I need to know if she's dead or alive."
I nodded without saying more.
The evidence of the east wing firefight was quickly cleaned up. The police situation was also handled by Jareth's people, explained as a private vendetta unrelated to family business.
Half an hour later, Vincent rushed in with his phone, out of breath.
"Miss Hayes, Aron just released a statement saying tonight's kidnapping attempt and the manor shooting were all Gavin's doing behind his back. He claims Gavin was trying to rescue Serafina and secretly hired Casa family members without his knowledge. Says it has absolutely nothing to do with him."
I leaned against the doorframe and laughed. "He's really good at shifting blame. Gavin was his pawn. Now that he's useless, Aron just kicks him out as a scapegoat."
Jareth walked over, wrapping his arm around my waist as we headed into the manor. "Aron made a ruthless move, dumping all the dirt on Gavin while keeping himself clean."
"He's certainly skilled at shifting blame. Gavin was just a pawn in his hand. Now that he's useless, Aron kicks him out as a scapegoat."
Jareth pulled me by the waist toward the manor, saying grimly, "Aron played this move viciously, throwing all the blame on Gavin while staying clean himself. But he forgot that when cornered, even Gavin will lash out. Who knows what leverage he might still have that could hurt Aron."
My heart skipped a beat. He was absolutely right.
If Gavin really got arrested by the police, he'd definitely rat out Aron to save his own skin.
But Aron hadn't reached his current position by leaving loose ends. He'd either silence Gavin or have already paved another path for him, redirecting the blame toward us.
Sure enough, the next morning Vincent came bursting in urgently. "Miss Hayes, we have a problem. After Gavin was taken in, he didn't turn on Aron. Instead, he insists that Jareth ordered him to fabricate evidence and collude with the Casa family. He's even claiming the manor shooting was Jareth's deliberate setup to frame others. He's concocted a bunch of 'evidence,' saying Jareth wanted to eliminate Serafina all along and used him to clean house!"
I nearly choked on the water I'd just sipped. "Has he lost his mind? Does anyone actually believe such nonsense?"
Vincent looked troubled. "It's not about whether people believe it or not. He's submitted a prepared statement and claims he has 'recordings' and 'transfer records' to back it up. Some people at the station have already been convinced. They want to bring Jareth in for questioning again."
I turned to look at Jareth sitting on the sofa. He seemed remarkably calm. "I expected this. My insider at the station sent word last night. After Gavin was arrested, Aron's people secretly met with him, promised him benefits to pin everything on me, and guaranteed they'd find a way to get him out as long as he stuck to the story."
I was stunned. "You already knew? Why didn't you stop it beforehand?"
Jareth smiled with the corner of his mouth, pulling me onto his lap. "Stop him for what? Let him talk. The more he says, the more holes appear in his story. My insider already has the records of Gavin's dealings with Aron, plus the drafts of his fabricated evidence. We're just waiting for him to fully commit before we slap him in the face with it."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Don Jareth plans far ahead. But you nearly scared me to death."
"What's there to fear? I'm here." Jareth stroked my head. "But this move with Gavin, Aron played it too hastily. He thinks muddying the waters will overwhelm us, but he forgot that Gavin is a coward who can't withstand pressure."