TRAPPED

SIENNA

As I pulled into my usual spot outside my art restoration office, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. There was nothing quite like the comfort of your own little corner of the world, especially when your work was your passion. Eagerly, I opened the car door and stepped out, ready to start on the tasks I had planned for this day.

But my excitement was short-lived as I felt a sudden jolt from behind. I turned around to see a sleek, black sports car that had bumped into my vehicle. Unbelievably, it was Aiden Roberts who made his way out of the vehicle. The infamous billionaire known for his lavish lifestyle and arrogance.

Initially, he appeared to be entirely unaffected by the occurrence. Even though he was in my presence, he didn’t even bother to look my way, instead he muttered something into his phone. As I moved closer to him, I realized something was wrong. I had been carefully transporting a thousand-dollar work of art in my car, a rare and invaluable statue that I had been painstakingly creating for weeks. When I looked closer at the remains of my beloved artwork, I came to understand that it was stupid Aiden who had caused its destruction.

“You couldn’t even see where you were going, could you?” I asked, my voice rising in anger. “Do you have any idea what the value of that object is?”

When Aiden looked at me, his eyes seemed to convey a hint of boredom, showing he had no interest in what was happening.

“Who cares?” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s just a piece of art, right? You can make another one.”

His complete disregard of the situation drove me to a level of lividity that I had never experienced before. It filled me with anger at first, but soon my emotions changed to shock when Aiden finally took notice of the broken pieces of my artwork. The size of his eyes increased in recognition, and I saw a quick and powerful anger flicker across his face.

“This is from my personal collection!” he bellowed, pointing an accusatory finger in my direction. “What the hell are you doing with it? Are you some kind of thief?”

His sudden change in attitude surprised me.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, confused.

“What the hell is this? Where did you get this statue from?” he asked in anger.

I looked at the piece of art that was already shattered.

“The museum curator brought the statue to me for restoration. I’m an art restorer, not a thief.”

“Don’t lie to me! You stole it from my collection, and now you’re trying to cover it up.” he shouted.

I couldn’t believe my ears. When the hell did I get into this mess?

“That’s not true! I stole nothing from you. As the statue needed repairs, I was transporting it in my car,” I explained, but it was like I was talking to a wall.

“Repairs? Don’t make me laugh! You’re just trying to save your own ass. I know you stole it, and I’m going to make sure you pay for it.”

“You’re being ridiculous. You crashed into my car, not the other way around. And now you’re trying to blame me for your mistake?” I snapped.

“I didn’t crash into your car! You’re the one who caused the accident. And now you’re trying to steal my statue on top of it all. Not to mention that because of your stupidity, my statue is broken. You will pay for it,” he yelled, taking out his phone.

“You’re delusional, mister! I stole nothing from you. I’m an art restorer, and I have the skills to repair your statue, that’s all.”

“You’re lying! I’m calling the police right now. You’re going to pay for what you’ve done.” he said and watched him call 911.

“No, wait! You don’t understand. This is all a misunderstanding…” I begged, as this asshole could get me into a lot of trouble.

“Save it for the judge. You’re going to jail, and I’m going to get my statue back.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I said, throwing my arms in the air. “I’m not a thief, I’m an artist, a restorer. You have to believe me.”

“I don’t have to believe anything. The evidence speaks for itself. You have my statue in your car, and you were involved in an accident. It’s clear what happened here.”

“But it’s not what you think. You’re making a huge mistake.”

“No, you made the mistake of stealing from me. And now you’re going to pay for it.” he said, turning his back on me, talking already with the operator.

Aiden shocked me with his behavior. That guy was such a jerk. He didn’t bother to give me a chance to explain the situation and instead called the cops. It was beyond frustrating that even the police officers who came to the scene disregarded my opinion, making the matter even more complicated.

I mean, come on! I am an art restorer. It’s my job to take care of these precious objects. I would steal nothing. And yet, Aiden accused me of stealing a statue that he claimed belonged to him. However, what was surprising was that it had actually not been stolen. It was just a statue that was undergoing restoration in my studio.

I tried to explain all of this to Aiden, but he was so convinced that I had stolen from him he didn’t even listen to me. And then he had the audacity to call the cops! Can you believe that?

Despite expecting the police to listen to what I had to say when they arrived, they completely disregarded me and my opinion. With no actual proof to back up Aiden’s claim, they started treating me as if I was a criminal and questioning me. It was humiliating.

It took me many years of hard work and dedication to become an art restorer, and I take great pride in my job. And yet, because of Aiden’s stupidity and the police’s negligence, my reputation has been tarnished.

I was so angry right now. Aiden owed me an apology, and so did those police officers. They should have given me the benefit of the doubt and listened to what I had to say. But no, they just assumed the worst and treated me like a criminal. It was not fair, and I would not stand for it.

Two hours passed, hours in which I just stared at the bars of a cell thinking about how I got into this situation and about who got me into this shit.

I couldn’t believe my luck. Here I was, sitting in a police station with bail already set on my head. How had I got myself into this mess? As I tried to make sense of the events of the previous hours, I tried to comprehend how I had arrived in this place.

It all began when the well-known businessman Aiden Roberts pointed the finger at me and claimed that I had stolen a valuable Egyptian statue that was in his possession. He was convinced that I had taken it, and he had enough money and power to make my life a living hell.

I did my best to explain to him I had no involvement in the statue’s disappearance, however, he was not willing to listen to me. It was his intention to use me as an example to show to everyone that he was the one in control. Here I was, imprisoned in a jail cell, waiting for someone to come and post my bail.

Just as I was about to succumb to feelings of hopelessness, my best friend and business partner, Lauren, made her entrance. Seeing her again brought me a sense of relief, but I also felt ashamed for having to give her the news of what had happened.

“How the hell did you end up in jail?” she asked me, looking concerned.

“It’s all because of Aiden Roberts,” I replied bitterly. “He accused me of stealing that stupid statue of his.”

Lauren shook her head in disbelief.

“Aiden Roberts? I can’t believe that guy. He’s so greedy and narcissistic. He doesn’t care who he steps on as long as he gets what he wants.”

I nodded in agreement.

“He’s got so much money he could buy two countries, but he still feels the need to bully people around.”

Lauren was already pulling out her wallet to pay my bail.

“Let’s get you out of here,” she said. “We’ll deal with Aiden later.”

Having her beside me throughout the experience was something I was profoundly grateful for. I knew that with her help, I could fight back against Aiden’s accusations and clear my name. I refused to give him the satisfaction of a win and was determined not to let him get away with this.

I walked into the coffee shop with Lauren by my side, feeling relieved that she had bailed me out of the police station. It was a small, cozy café with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling the air.

As we found a table, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about what had happened. I knew they had falsely accused me, but that they had arrested me still weighed heavily on my mind.

Lauren could sense my unease and asked me how I was feeling.

“Are you ok, love?” she asked in concern. “If you are thinking about what just happened, please stop. They did you an injustice,”

“I’m just glad to be out of there. Thank you so much for coming to get me.” I said.

She smiled reassuringly.

“Of course, I’m just glad I could help.”

I took a sip of my coffee and looked down at the table.

“Honestly, I’m still in shock. I can’t believe they thought I stole that statue. It was kind of mine to begin with. The museum entrusted it to me to restore it,” I cried in despair.

Lauren reached out and placed a hand on mine.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure this out.” She reassured me.

Despite the kindness of her words, I could not deny the feeling that my life was in a state of chaos and disorder. Dealing with the legal repercussions of being wrongly accused of theft was not only difficult, but the added stress of knowing that I would need to pay compensation for the valuable statue that was taken away by the police was an extra burden on top of that.

“And to make matters worse, the police took the statue as evidence, so I don’t even have it anymore.” I sighed heavily.

Lauren’s expression softened.

“That’s rough. But try not to worry about it too much. I’m sure things will sort themselves out, eventually.”

I gave a slight nod in response, thankful for her backing. Despite our conversation, I was still feeling a sense of apprehension and dread that seemed to be lodged deep in the center of my gut.

“I wonder how? Aiden Roberts is a powerful man. I won’t stand a chance,” I said.

“How much money are we talking about?” Lauren asked me and my stomach turned.

“Thousands of dollars, Laurie. I don’t have that kind of money!” I cried.

Lauren took some time to think about it.

“You could explain to them exactly what happened...” she said, taking a sip of coffee.

“And tell them what, Laurie? That the great gazillionaire Aiden Roberts hit me with his car and broke the statue in half? Also, when he saw it he remembered one was missing from his idiotic collection and thought to accuse me of stealing it. Wonderful explanation, I must say.”

“Yeah, not a good idea. Unfortunately, you have no choice but to do what honest people do. Work their ass out. And when you raise some of the money, you pay the museum. And so on…”

I found it hard to listen and accept what Lauren was saying, and even though I knew she was right, I felt a surge of anger inside me when I thought about how easily and comfortably Aiden Roberts could lay his head on the pillow to sleep every night.

“Or better yet. I hatch a revenge plan and make Aiden pay for every second of humiliation he put me through! That is a promise!”

SIENNA

When I arrived at my restoration studio the following morning, it filled me with anticipation and excitement. Despite all the difficulties I encountered, I endeavored to put the incident out of my mind and summon up the courage to go speak to that museum.

But until that happened I had a lot of work to do, and I was ready for it. The first piece that was on order was a beautiful antique chair that had been in the Smith’s family for generations. Mrs. Smith told me it had a sentimental value attached to it, and it was my job to restore it to its former glory.

I cautiously raised the chair onto my workbench and inspected it with great care. The chair had already gone through some wear and tear and was no longer at its peak condition. Time had discolored, scratched, and worn down the wood. I was determined to put in the hard work and have patience to make this chair look as good as new.

I started by sanding down the wood to remove the scrat