Free Web NovelChapter 305: Chapter 305 The Cost of Crime_1
At seven in the evening, Aiden saw Annie Drake in shackles once again in the interrogation room.
"Now you’ve finally settled down," Aiden nodded at her with approval, "Lately, the prisoners here have been getting more and more obedient, which is a good thing... but it’s also become too dull. Thanks to you, I’ve found some entertainment after a long absence."
"Mmm mmm mmm mmm..." Annie made some indistinct noises.
"You got beaten up pretty bad, huh? Your face is all swollen. I thought Ophelia wasn’t good at hand-to-hand combat... but compared to those who got beat up by Camila, you’re relatively lucky, a lot of them had their jaws broken."
"Mmm mmm mmm..." Annie continued to grunt.
"Do you want to talk?" Aiden asked.
"Mmm!"
Annie couldn’t speak, only making muffled "mmm mmm" sounds because her mouth was sealed with tape.
The reason for such a measure was that as soon as Annie saw Aiden, she started cursing non-stop, attempting to overpower Aiden’s questioning with her own voice, eventually leading Aiden to simply have Veronica seal her mouth with tape.
"If you stop wasting our time with your cursing, I’m quite willing to let you speak. I don’t want it to seem as if I’ve kidnapped you," Aiden shrugged his shoulders, "but I advise you to be polite once the tape is removed, as my bodyguard Miss is not in the best mood today." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Veronica, standing behind Aiden, glowered menacingly at Annie.
Aiden stared at her for a while, then waved his hand: "Take it off."
Veronica stepped forward and ripped the tape from Annie’s mouth.
"You this—" Annie immediately glared at Aiden and began to speak.
Veronica suddenly picked up the baton and slammed it on the iron table, interrupting her: "Don’t want your teeth anymore?"
Annie promptly closed her mouth.
"Going to curse again?" Aiden looked at Annie and smiled, "Are you that scared?"
"Who’s scared!?" Annie raised her voice like a stepped-on cat.
Aiden looked into Annie’s eyes, which she only managed to hold for a few seconds before looking away.
"Even though you’re acting tough now, you can’t maintain eye contact for long, and your body tensifies at the slightest intimidation from Veronica. Can you still say you’re not scared?" Aiden said slowly, staring at her, "I understand though, after your father was caught, you lost your backing. On your own, you couldn’t even think of escaping from prison, let alone causing trouble. For someone like you, a ’second-generation criminal’, that’s about all the skill you have."
"What exactly do you want? Are you planning on taking the law into your own hands?" Annie couldn’t help it, the thought of how she would be treated after the failed escape attempt chilled her to the bone. Rather than continue to live in fear, she preferred a quick resolution from the other party.
"Don’t be nervous, I have no plans to do anything. The courts will naturally issue a sentence for the crime of escaping prison. Tomorrow, you and your father will probably be sent to court. Of course, all the murder and plundering you did on the Empire’s seas has nothing to do with the autonomous region and won’t be brought up in the charges. Only the crimes of jailbreak and escape will be judged here," Aiden explained calmly, "But after you serve your sentence here, the Empire will certainly settle the score with you... However, the one worth extraditing to them is likely only your father. As for you, since the paperwork for your transfer is done, you’ll probably continue to serve your sentence here."
"What are you trying to say?"
"As the ringleader of the prison riot and escape, you’re getting at least a ten-year extension on your sentence, on top of the original time... Congratulations, you’ve now become a long-term inmate with a sentence exceeding twenty years. No matter how well you behave, unless there’s significant merit, you’re probably going to spend a full ten years here. Since we’re going to be together for the long haul, I think it’s only right that I give you a bit of advice," Aiden said, gesturing towards Annie.
"Advice?"
"If you follow the rules here, maybe you can have a slightly easier time," Aiden said calmly.
"Is this your way of telling me to obey?" Annie showed a defiant look.
"I don’t really care. If you don’t follow the rules, it’s no big loss to me; I might even find it amusing," Aiden shrugged. "The only one who loses is you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, you can’t even outplay the succubus in the same room. You’d better watch out for yourself."
"..." Annie fell silent.
"After the trial for all you escapees is over, you should have been put into solitary confinement for a while. But I thought about it, and decided against it."
Annie frowned suspiciously upon hearing this.
"The textile workshop has too many orders to process recently, confining you all would just be a waste of labor," Aiden continued. "During the forthcoming three-month observation period, all of you involved in the escape will not only be downgraded to the lowest treatment level, but all rest days are also canceled. Plus, mandatory overtime every evening."
The textile workshop’s business of producing sanitary napkins and diapers was booming, with supply barely meeting demand—they could sell as many as they produced. Aiden would actually have liked to make the prisoners work overtime every day, but the prison regulations also had their limits.
These female prisoners had put on quite a show under Annie’s lead, giving Aiden an excuse to increase their labor.
Facing a bunch of unruly and vicious criminals, Aiden felt no psychological burden playing the role of a harsh taskmaster.
"You’re going to treat us like slaves?" Annie asked.
"This is slavery? Some unscrupulous companies out there are even harsher on their workers," Aiden laughed. "Only thing is, you’ll have your subsidies cut."
"What if I refuse to work?"
"Working in the workshop is still better than solitary confinement. You wouldn’t want to spend your days with your hands tied behind your back, having to eat like a dog from a bowl, unable to even wipe your behind when you use the toilet," Aiden raised an eyebrow.
Annie finally quieted down.
"That’s the situation, so you just stay put in the solitary cell today," Aiden signaled with his hand, preparing for Veronica to take her away.
But at that moment, Annie suddenly spoke up: "My father... what will happen to him?"
"Who knows? I’m not too familiar with the Empire’s laws. Once he’s extradited to the Empire, whatever he’s sentenced for will be carried out accordingly, and if his crimes are severe enough to warrant the death penalty, hanging would be only what he deserves," Aiden said slowly. "But I’ve heard that you pirates hide treasures to use as bargaining chips for reducing sentences if you get caught, so there might be a chance for him to survive... However, in the luckiest scenario, he’d probably still have to spend the rest of his life in prison."
Annie looked down after hearing this, not speaking again.
"If he is executed, you likely won’t have a chance to see him one last time. Even if he lives, you’d have to finish serving your sentence before you could visit him... and it’s uncertain if he’ll live that long," Aiden glanced at Annie. "But neither of you deserve sympathy. Experience the cost of crime inside these walls."
