Chapter 24: Dedication
After that lunch, Lara felt she had learned a lot from her coworkers. She realized that she could have probably discovered much of that information on her own if she had taken the time to explore social media and follow the news. But she had always been indifferent to such things, too focused on her own life. She silently thanked her coworkers for sharing what they knew.
Before heading back to her desk, one of her lunch companions, Mark, approached her with a smile and handed her a brownie. "I hope we can have lunch together again sometime," he said, looking genuinely pleased. "We're looking forward to it."
Lara accepted the brownie with a polite thank-you before heading back to her workstation.
With her major tasks already completed earlier in the morning, Lara found herself with some free time. She decided to open her browser and search for the website her coworkers had mentioned. When the site loaded, the homepage displayed an overwhelming collection of requests from people seeking justice—pleas from ordinary individuals who felt powerless in the face of a system they couldn't afford to navigate.
Scrolling through the site, Lara felt a sense of unease. Story after story detailed injustices, corruption, and crimes left unresolved. She began to understand why so many people supported The Fool. It wasn't just admiration—it was desperation. The Fool had become a symbol of hope for those who felt abandoned by the legal system.
But as she read further, Lara's conflicted feelings deepened. "Why does The Fool have to resort to killing?" she thought. "Why does justice have to come at such a high cost?"
More than anything, she couldn't shake the question that weighed heavily on her mind: "Why did my father have to get involved in all this? Why was he dragged into a fight he had no part in?"
As she closed the browser, Lara leaned back in her chair, torn between sympathy for the cause The Fool represented and her personal pain over her father's unjust imprisonment. This internal conflict only fueled her determination to uncover the truth.
As Lara continued to read through various groups on social media and the website she was following, one particular name kept appearing, capturing her attention. With the upcoming elections, many discussions revolved around a man campaigning for mayor in a nearby town: Jun Cupad, a former pastor turned political candidate.
Post after post painted a damning picture of Jun Cupad. According to numerous accounts, he was a known predator, using his position as a pastor to exploit young girls from his congregation. Despite several victims and families coming forward to the authorities, Jun Cupad remained untouchable due to his powerful connections. People speculated about his ties to influential figures, though no one could confirm what those connections were. What was clear, however, was that the law couldn't—or wouldn't—touch him, no matter how heinous his actions.
The posts and stories sparked an idea in Lara's mind.