Chapter 25: Cross Paths
Lara cautiously approached the elderly man who was collecting the posters, but before she could get close, she saw him suddenly break into tears.
She stood frozen as she watched him, his sorrow evident in the way his shoulders shook. He then lit a match, setting fire to the pile of posters bearing Jun Cupad's face.
"Patricia... Patricia, my child... I won't let this wicked man win. I promise, I'll find you," the old man sobbed, his voice filled with both anguish and determination.
Moments later, a group of Jun Cupad's supporters arrived. They immediately doused the flames and began yelling at the elderly man. One of them even shoved him roughly, causing him to stumble. Lara, unable to stand by any longer, ran to help him up, but her intervention only drew the ire of the supporters.
"You're with him, aren't you?" one of them accused, glaring at Lara.
The group began to surround her and the old man, their anger escalating. Lara started to panic, unsure of how to defuse the situation as the supporters yelled at her.
Then, out of nowhere, a familiar voice cut through the chaos.
"Enough!" It was Mark, Lara's coworker, who had somehow appeared just in time. He stepped between Lara and the angry supporters, raising his hands to calm them down. "We're just trying to help the old man," he explained firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
The supporters hesitated but eventually backed off, though not without delivering a threat. "If we catch you burning our candidate's posters again, we'll have you both arrested!" one of them snarled before they left, grumbling.