From Suffering To Power System

“Please, I did not murder him, you have to believe me!” Owen cried, his voice cutting through the air in the grand hall. It was filled with people dressed in magnificent clothes, sparkling shoes, and gems from all across the globe, but he? He was dressed in rags.

“You don’t understand. I was framed, officer!” he begged, but the cops already had the handcuffs in place and dragged him across the hall toward the exit. Behind them, a group of paramedics carried a body wrapped in white cloth, stained with blood, while the guests watched with horror written all over their faces. They knew the truth. They knew Owen was innocent, but no one wanted to say it.

ONE HOUR EARLIER

In the dormitory at Brightson College, a young man dressed in a green, patched-up shirt and worn-out jeans sat across the room, lost in a handcraft. His roommates chattered behind him, gossiping about how the notorious college playboy, Brad Lutherson, was going to publicly propose to the all-charming prom queen, Valentine Channel. They said it was going to be a night to remember, the celebration would be grand, and they all agreed that a girl in her right senses would not reject such a proposal.

“Did you hear that he booked the best hall in the city?” one of them said, and the others gasped in disbelief.

“And he got her a charming ten-million-dollar diamond ring to propose,” another added, “and it’s going to be live-streamed on all social media platforms.”

“She is so lucky!” exclaimed another. “I heard her father is also a very wealthy man. Imagine if they got married and their families united, they would be unstoppable.”

“Indeed,” another interjected. “They could just buy off the country at this rate.”

Amidst their chatter, Owen couldn’t help but chuckle. He knew Valentine too well. He was confident that she would reject Brad’s proposal in front of millions of viewers and humiliate him. He knew this because he was in a secret relationship with Valentine herself, and he was crafting the perfect birthday card for her since he couldn’t afford to buy one.

Since it was her birthday, he had saved up enough to invite her to dinner. Valentine, on the other hand, had promised to come. In fact, once he was done with the card, he would start getting ready for their first date night together, and maybe tonight she would let him kiss her on the lips. He could already imagine how much fun they would have together, as well as how disappointed Brad would be when she didn’t show up for his extravagant proposal.

“The event starts in an hour!” shouted one of the roommates as he jumped out of bed to start getting ready.

“Where’s the location?” asked another with excitement.

“Tulips Hall.”

“Oh my God, that place is worth nearly a million to rent for an hour.”

Owen scoffed. Their chatter disturbed his peace, and he couldn’t wait for them to leave, to attend the party and have the most disappointing night of their lives because Valentine, his Valentine, was going out with him, not Brad Pitt.

Minutes passed, nearly an hour, and he was done with the card. However, he hadn’t gotten a call from Valentine like he expected. He called her, but for some reason her line was unreachable. He called again, and then again, but this time it felt as though she was ignoring his calls. Panic set in, and the first thought on his mind was Is she safe? Is she okay?

Just as he was about to drop the phone, she called back. Enthusiastically, Owen picked up, worry spilling from him as he asked in one breath, “Hey, Val, are you alright? I’ve been trying to reach you. I’m getting ready for tonight and—”

She cut him off with a cold voice. “I am breaking up with you, Owen. I can’t do this with you anymore. It’s very embarrassing, and I need to quit now before anyone sees me with you. Goodbye, Owen. Don’t call me again.”

Her statement was brief, and she ended the call just as quickly as it had started, leaving Owen frozen. He stood transfixed, staring at his phone like it held all the answers to what had just happened. For a moment, he forgot how to breathe. His heart seemed to drop, and his stomach churned. He had never known how bad betrayal felt until now, and the heartbreak throbbed like a migraine.

He wanted to call again, to confirm she wasn’t playing tricks on him, but his hands were shaking. It took a while to scroll through the applications on his phone, and instead of calling Valentine, he opened one of the social media streaming platforms and logged into Brad’s live session. He didn’t know why—perhaps he just wanted to reassure himself that she hadn’t broken up with him just to attend Brad’s event and accept his proposal. If that happened, it would be a knife straight to his chest.

So far, the livestream showed nothing significant. Brad was absent, but the hall was already full of guests, drinking and dancing to the music. Cameras from different angles allowed Owen to see every corner, and even his roommates appeared in some of the footage.

“Maybe she’s just upset,” he tried to assure himself. “Mood swings and all that… I know Val would never ditch me for that guy. I must have offended her.”

His voice trailed off when the guests erupted into loud cheers, and his eyes snapped back to the screen. At first, all he saw were the guests. Then the camera shifted to the entrance, revealing Brad walking in, dressed in a sparkling black two-piece suit with matching shoes. His wrist was adorned with a one-of-a-kind wristwatch, and his fingers held not one, but four diamond rings.

And beside him, dressed in an elegant red dress covered in sparkling sequins, was Valentine. Her smile was as radiant as the morning star. She held Brad’s hand, their fingers interlocked, and the way they looked at each other made it seem like they had been a couple for years.

Owen’s jaw dropped. “Val?” he muttered, the word heavy on his lips. “Val!” he repeated, louder this time, his fingers clenching into a tight fist. Rage coursed through him as he watched Brad’s fingers trail over her, and when they kissed on camera, his heart nearly exploded.

Unable to watch any longer, Owen stormed out of the dormitory, slamming the door behind him. He had wanted Brad and all his guests to be humiliated, but now, he was the one taking the blow.

Owen was exasperated, and in this state, he was unstoppable. He would walk straight into that party and get answers for himself, straight from the source, straight from Valentine Channel.