After Rejection, she crawled to my feet for forgiveness

“Mr. Norman, you're under arrest!” the officer barked, stepping forward, with handcuffs.

Norman glanced up from his desk, unfazed, his eyes cool and steady. “Under arrest? For what?”

“For accepting a bribe!” The officer’s gaze hardened, but Norman didn’t flinch, though a flicker of confusion passed through his mind.

“There’s been a mistake, Officer,” Norman said, keeping his voice steady. “I’ve never accepted a bribe. Who made this accusation?”

“I did, Norman.”

Before the officer could respond, the door swung open, and Lana, Norman’s fiancée, stepped inside, her expression twisted with disdain.

“I reported you to the police. Now to save yourself from more embarrassment. Go with the police and pay for your crimes.”She said coldly.

Norman’s calm wavered slightly as he turned to face her, his brows knitting in surprise. “Lana?” he asked, disbelief creeping into his voice，“What are you saying?“

“Don’t play innocent,” she snapped. “You took a bribe, and I did what was necessary. Now accept your punishment!”

Seeing the clear look of disgust on her face, Norman’s heart ached. He felt the sting of betrayal more than the accusation itself.

“Why are you doing this?”

Lana sneered. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m done with you, Norman. You’ve been nothing but a burden. Just an orphan clinging to the job my father handed you out of pity.”

Her words struck like daggers. Norman’s fists clenched, his nails biting into his palms as he fought to steady himself.

“Listen Norman, you have no future, no family, no connections. I need someone that would help me and my family elevate higher, to become the best not just in this city, but in the entire country. And that's why Norman, I'm getting married to Henry Havord. The Havords are among the elite in the capital; with Henry, I’ll be the talk of the city. And you? You’re just in the way.”

Norman’s shoulders straightened, his eyes narrowing. For a brief moment, his pain burned into something sharper, colder. He met Lana’s gaze with an intensity that made her falter, if only for a second.

“You’re making a terrible mistake, Lana,” he said, his voice low and firm.

“The only mistake I made was not reporting you sooner,” Lana spat. “By now, I could’ve married Henry and lifted my family even higher. But no, I wasted time on you—useless as you are.”

“Useless?” Norman chuckled lightly, a cold, steady sound that sent an inexplicable chill through the room. 

For two years, he had been the backbone of Valkoria City. Before he came, this city was nothing but ruins, disorderliness and chaos.

Two years ago, on behalf of Lana's father who was the mayor of the city, Norman took over as the acting Mayor, transforming this city to what it was today.

He alone created balance, struck fear in the hearts of dangerous underground organizations and foreign threats. He once took down an entire enemy fleet and returned unarmed.

He had been secretly protecting her family from many enemies. Without him, her family and the entire city would fall back to chaos. And here she was calling him useless.

But Norman knew it would be useless explaining all these to Lana, she had already made up her mind, she wouldn't believe him even if he did.

The officer shifted uncomfortably, the weight of Norman’s steady stare unsettling.

 “Mr. Norman, we need to proceed,” he said, rattling the handcuffs in his hand, though his tone was less firm than before.

Norman turned to him, his dark eyes calm but commanding. “Let’s not waste time, then,” he said, extending his wrists.

His composure, his willingness to comply, sent a chill down the officer’s spine. For a moment, it felt as though they were the ones being judged.

As the cuffs clicked into place, Norman’s gaze returned to Lana. “You’ve made your decision,” he said softly. “Now, you’ll have to live with it.”

The officer hesitated before leading Norman away, unable to shake the sense that they were making a mistake.

Immediately after they were gone, Lana exhaled, her tension releasing into a triumphant grin

She immediately brought out her phone to announce the good news to her father, Mr. Lucas, he was also part of this scheme to eliminate Norman.

“Dad, it’s done,” she said with a grin, barely able to contain her excitement. “Norman’s been arrested. The plan worked perfectly.”