Chapter 576: Arrested
Yuna and Marco exchanged a glance, a silent calculation passing between them.
’If it’s not hers... then it must be Mia’s,’ they thought almost simultaneously.
Their expressions shifted instantly.
Turning toward the interior of the house, they forced smiles again.
"Even if it’s under Mia’s name," Yuna said smoothly, "it doesn’t change the fact that she’s our daughter-in-law. At most, the police will still treat this as a family matter."
Selena stared at them for a moment... and then laughed.
"You two really have no shame," she said bluntly. For money, they were even ready to call Mia their daughter-in-law.
Then her lips curled slightly as she added, "But I should disappoint you."
She paused deliberately, letting the tension stretch.
"This apartment," she continued, her voice steady, "is neither under my name nor Mia’s."
Another pause. "It belongs to someone else."
Her gaze sharpened. "And that person... has absolutely nothing to do with me, Mia, or either of you."
For the first time, uncertainty flickered across Yuna and Marco’s faces.
Selena’s confidence was too firm, too unshaken.
They exchanged another glance, this one heavier, before Marco’s expression hardened. ’Enough wasting time,’ he thought.
He stepped forward. "If you want us to leave," he said, his tone turning cold, "then fulfill one of our conditions."
Selena raised an eyebrow, gesturing lazily. "Go on."
"I want one million dollars," Marco stated bluntly. "Give us that, and we’ll leave. Otherwise... we’ll continue to trouble you."
Beside him, Yuna nodded, though her thoughts ran deeper and far more sinister. ’Once we get one million,’ she thought greedily, ’we’ll keep coming back. There’s definitely more we can squeeze out of her.’
To them... Selena was nothing more than a walking money tree. But how could Selena not see through them?
Her patience finally snapped.
Without another word, she pulled out her phone and dialed Aurora. Her voice was calm, eerily calm, as she briefly explained the situation from her side in the shortest, clearest way possible.
Aurora didn’t waste a second.
The moment she understood, she immediately contacted the police and had them dispatched to the apartment.
Meanwhile, as Selena spoke, Yuna and Marco had already moved on to their own plan.
Their eyes began to wander greedily around the living room.
The faint scent of polished wood and fresh linen filled the air as they stepped inside, their hands already reaching for anything that looked remotely valuable.
A decorative vase, a small electronic device, even neatly arranged items on the shelves... They took everything they could grab.
’If she’s going to report us anyway,’ Marco thought coldly, ’we might as well take something before we leave.’
’By the time the police arrive,’ Yuna added silently, ’we’ll be long gone.’
Their plan seemed flawless. Except... They had miscalculated one crucial detail. They assumed the police would take at least twenty minutes.
But... The police arrived in ten.
Just as they were about to leave with their arms full of stolen items, Selena stepped in front of them, blocking their path.
Her expression was cold, but her heart was pounding violently in her chest.
"What do you think you’re doing?" she demanded.
She had already seen everything. But she was stalling. Yuna and Marco knew it too.
"Move aside," Marco snapped, shoving her shoulder. "We’re taking these."
Selena staggered slightly but didn’t fall. She steadied herself quickly, her voice sharp. "You’ve already committed theft. Even if you leave now, you’ll be arrested."
Yuna burst into laughter, her voice shrill. "By then, we’ll have sold everything!" she scoffed. "We’ll be long gone, enjoying the money. You’ll be the one dealing with the consequences."
Marco smirked. "So stop pretending you can stop us."
Something inside Selena burned.
Her fingers trembled as she pointed at them, her voice cracking slightly despite her anger. "Are you... really my parents?"
For a moment...there was silence. But they didn’t answer.
To them, Selena was nothing more than a troublesome child throwing a tantrum.
’If she had just obediently given us money,’ they thought, ’none of this would’ve happened.’
They brushed past her and stepped into the corridor, ready to leave, and froze.
Police officers stood right in front of them.
Before they could react, cold metal cuffs snapped around their wrists.
"What are you doing?! Let us explain!" Yuna shouted, struggling wildly.
Marco quickly added, "She gave us permission! Our daughter allowed us to take these!"
Selena stepped forward, her voice firm despite the storm raging inside her. "That’s a lie," she said.
"They came here on their own, tried to extort money, and then started stealing items. They were even planning to sell everything and leave the country."
The officers exchanged glances before checking the surveillance footage.
Everything matched.
Even a few neighbors, who had gathered outside after hearing the prolonged commotion, confirmed the situation.
With that, Yuna and Marco were taken away. Their voices, filled with anger and desperation, slowly faded down the corridor.
Selena stood there for a moment before finally turning back into the apartment. The moment the door closed behind her, her legs weakened slightly.
She walked into the living room and sank onto the couch, her entire body trembling uncontrollably, as if all the strength she had been holding together finally shattered.
’So... I didn’t forget after all,’ she thought bitterly.
She had believed she had long erased them from her heart. And yet... in just one day, they had returned like ghosts... and tore everything open again.
She let out a shaky breath, pressing a hand against her chest.
"Thank God... Mia isn’t here," she whispered softly. "She would’ve been shaken too."
Meanwhile...
Elsewhere, Aurora leaned back slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips as she processed everything she had just heard.
Her eyes gleamed with quiet amusement and calculation.
’If I don’t deal with Selena’s parents properly...’ she thought calmly, ’they’ll keep coming back.’
Aurora leaned back slightly. ’If Selena gets troubled... Mia will be dragged into it. And if Mia suffers... I won’t be able to tolerate it.’
Her eyes darkened.
Without wasting another second, she began digging.
It didn’t take long before she found something... and then more.
"They haven’t paid taxes for years..." she murmured under her breath, her lips curling slightly. "And... a hit-and-run case?"
Her fingers paused for a brief moment before continuing, gathering evidence piece by piece, stitching together a damning record that Yuna and Marco had long believed was buried.
Once everything was in place, Aurora leaned back and exhaled softly.
"That should be enough," she whispered.
Without hesitation, she submitted all the material to the authorities.
The police, already involved due to Selena’s complaint, didn’t waste time. With the added evidence and a little... encouragement, they tightened their grip on Yuna and Marco.
Inside the station, the atmosphere was suffocating.
The smell of stale air and metal lingered as Yuna and Marco sat there, stunned, their earlier arrogance completely shattered.
"This... this isn’t right!" Yuna snapped, her voice trembling. "We were supposed to leave after a small negotiation!"
Marco’s face had gone pale, sweat forming on his forehead. "How do they suddenly know about all this?" he muttered, panic creeping into his tone.
They struggled, protested, and eventually demanded a phone call. The officer, slightly annoyed, waved a hand. "Fine. Make it quick."
The moment the phone was placed in their hands, they didn’t hesitate. Instead of calling Selena...they called Sel.
On the other end, Sel froze the moment she heard the news.
"What?" she whispered, her grip tightening around her phone.
For a few seconds, there was silence. Then...a slow smile spread across her lips.
"You... got arrested?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly, not with fear, but with something dangerously close to excitement.
Yuna quickly spoke, "Sel, listen to us, you have to come bail us out..."
But Selly wasn’t listening anymore.
Inside her heart, a storm of thoughts surged.
’If I don’t go... they won’t be able to leave,’ she realized, her breathing quickening. ’And if they stay locked up... I’ll finally be free.’
Free to live her life. Free to date whoever she wanted. Free from their suffocating control.
A soft chuckle escaped her lips.
"How unfortunate," she said lightly. "I’ll... see what I can do."
But the moment the call ended, she tossed her phone aside and laughed quietly.
’Selena... you’re still useful after all,’ she thought, a glint flashing in her eyes.
She returned to her apartment, the faint aroma of spices filling the air as she began preparing a meal, her mood unusually light.
Then... her phone chimed.
She glanced at the screen. An unknown number.
Frowning slightly, she opened the message.
"I haven’t taken action against you so far, even though you repeatedly tried to interfere with Selena and Mia’s marriage. But that doesn’t mean I can’t."
Her breath hitched. Before she could process it, another message arrived.
"By now, you should have realized something. Your parents weren’t supposed to stay in prison... yet they are. And all their dirty history has surfaced."