NOVPUB
Chapter 136: Chapter 136 Free Ride Home
The news was still rolling.
Chloe, the stunning brunette anchor, leaned forward slightly in her seat, her eyes sparkling with emotion as she glanced at her co-host, Mark.
"You know what, Mark?" she said, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I actually don’t think he did it."
Mark blinked, caught off-guard. "Wait, what?"
"I mean look at him," Chloe continued, gesturing dramatically to the freeze-frame of Liam being arrested. "He’s so... harmless. So sweet-looking. Like a total mommy’s boy. There’s no way someone like that could commit murder."
Mark’s expression shifted into panic as he glanced off-camera, probably toward their producer. "Um—Chloe, you just called him the face of evil five minutes ago—"
"I know, I know," she cut in, shaking her head with a hint of guilt, "but that was before I saw his face. Now I’m convinced. That boy couldn’t even hurt a fly."
The internet exploded.
Across the country, people watching the live broadcast sat in stunned disbelief. Viewers’ jaws dropped, fingers flying across keyboards and phone screens.
X (formerly Twitter):
@AngryDude33: What the actual fck is this woman saying on live TV??? Get Chloe OFF THE NEWS!*
@KweenMelanie: No, Chloe’s right! Liam looks like a sweetheart! He didn’t do it, he couldn’t have!
@ThirstyGoddess: LOOKS. MATTER. I’m sorry. That man isn’t capable of violence unless it’s breaking my back in bed.
@ShockedBoomer: She called him a criminal, now she’s defending him?? Did his face hit the reset button in her brain??
The gender divide was real.
Suddenly, Chloe touched the earpiece in her right ear again. Her eyes lit up like fireworks. "Breaking update," she said excitedly, interrupting herself. "It’s just been confirmed by his alibi that Liam wasn’t at the murder site last night. In fact, he spent the entire night at her home."
Mark frowned. "Whose—"
Chloe grinned. "A policewoman’s. That’s right. A serving officer has just confirmed that Liam had nothing to do with this case."
Her excitement grew with every word. "I knew it! That sweet boy—look at him, sitting there all quiet and polite while the police try to pin a murder on him. They probably treated him horribly in there. Ugh, the poor thing."
Mark opened his mouth to respond, but Chloe was already firing on all cylinders.
"Honestly, the police should be held accountable for this. This level of inconsistency is shameful. They literally handcuffed an injured man with no evidence and dragged him off like some common criminal."
Someone watching the news in a bar dropped their drink.
Another man almost threw his remote at the screen.
Just minutes ago, Chloe had praised the police’s efficiency. Now, she was roasting them like they stole her lunch.
---
On X:
@IamDoneWithLife: I SWEAR if one more mf tells me looks don’t matter, I’m hanging him with his dick in his mouth.
@MurderHimboSimps: It’s official. Liam isn’t a suspect. He’s a lifestyle.
@FreeMyBoy: HE SPENT THE NIGHT WITH A POLICEWOMAN! Our king was busy doing God’s work, not murder.
The tweets were endless. Hashtags like #InnocentLiam, #MommyBoysRise, and #FreeMyHimbo were trending at number one.
---
Meanwhile, in a famous all-girls group chat (though 20% were creepy boys pretending to be girls):
@SoftieGoddess:
Are you guys watching the news?
@HotPinkHellfire:
IDIOT, every fucking body is glued to it.
@QueenOfBooty:
Just look at his heavenly face... THIS is what a real man looks like.
@DomPrincess69:
If I was the policewoman arresting him, I’d hand him the cuffs and let him tie my hands behind my back. Do anything he wants to me.
@SoftieGoddess:
Yooo chill!
@BitterElla23:
Stop hyping. He’s just average, honestly.
@ModBot:
WTF. Someone get rid of that jealous bitch.
Ella23 has been removed from the group chat.
Moments later, a new message popped up:
@CutieCherry:
Drops image – (Caption: I snapped this yesterday, I go to the same school as him. If you want more, enter my DMs. I sell them.)
@ThirstyVixen:
Damn girl, how much?
@HotPinkHellfire:
YOU WILL SEE ME IN YOUR DM RIGHT AWAY.
@QueenOfBooty:
I wanna be your first customer!!!
@DomPrincess69:
I’ll pay double if you have one of him smiling.
---
Liam rubbed his wrist gently as he stepped out of the interrogation room, the dull ache in his broken bones reminding him just how unnecessarily harsh that arrest had been. The bandages around his hand were slightly undone from the force used to cuff him, but he didn’t complain. He wasn’t interested in drama—not anymore.
He hadn’t even realized the chaos his face had caused online. The viral wildfire that had taken over the internet meant nothing to him. All he wanted at that moment was his phone back.
"I want my phone," he said flatly, his voice calm but cold.
One of the younger male officers, visibly nervous, quickly handed it over. "Here, sir—I mean, um, here..."
Liam took it silently, unlocked it, and scanned his screen. There were a few missed calls and several unread messages. His gaze softened slightly when he saw the name at the top of the list: Ann.
> I heard what happened.
Are you alright?
—
Thank God they’ve released you!
Stay out of trouble please!!!!
A small smile tugged at the corner of Liam’s lips. He began typing slowly with his still-functional hand.
> I’m okay. Don’t worry. I’ll explain later.
He slipped the phone into his pocket and walked out, his long strides calm and unhurried. They might have tried to humiliate him, but they suck at it.
Just outside the interrogation room, standing by her desk, he spotted Vanessa.
When their eyes met, he smiled.
Vanessa, still fuming from everything that had gone down, immediately rolled her eyes and folded her arms. She looked away, pretending to be annoyed, but a very faint flush colored her cheeks.
But the moment Liam’s gaze shifted past her and landed on Josh, that gentle expression froze.
Liam’s deep blue eyes turned cold—void of life. He didn’t speak a word. He didn’t make a sound. But that look... that empty, murderous gaze... it was enough to chill bones.
Only Josh was unaware of it.
No one else caught it—no one saw the way Liam nodded ever so subtly, like a silent executioner confirming the name of the next soul he’d collect. And just like that, he turned and stepped out the front door.
The heavy doors swung shut behind him.
Vanessa immediately followed, jogging a few steps to catch up. "Hey!" she called after him. "Wait."
Liam stopped.
"I just wanted to say..." She paused, suddenly awkward. "I’m sorry. For everything that happened in there."
He turned his head, his features calm again, the smile slowly returning. "Don’t apologize. If anything... I should be thanking you, officer."
Vanessa looked slightly flustered. "Whatever," she muttered, looking away again.
Liam stepped off the curb and raised a hand. A yellow cab pulled up to the sidewalk. He opened the back door.
He called his home address as he put the sit belt on, he didn’t trust these damn shitty drivers.
The old driver turned to look at him, a toothpick dancing at the corner of his mouth. "That far, huh? Alright, hop in."
As the cab began to move, Liam sat back, closed his eyes, and sighed softly.
Peace at last.
But that peace was short-lived.
Midway through the ride, the driver kept glancing at him in the mirror. Once. Twice. A third time. Then he turned his entire head back for a longer look.
Liam raised a brow. "What?"
The driver’s eyes widened. "Wait a minute... You’re that kid. That kid!"
"What kid?" Liam said with a tired sigh.
"You’re the one from the news! The pretty boy! The murder suspect—well, the ex-suspect!" the man exclaimed, suddenly full of energy. "Oh my god, my wife is not going to believe this! Wait, hold on—hold on—I need to take a picture!"
Before Liam could protest, the old man had already fished out a crusty Android phone and was leaning awkwardly into the back seat, angling for a selfie.
Click!
"Perfect shot!" he said proudly. "Damn, I’m going to sell this online. I’m rich!"
Liam groaned and lifted his hand to cover his face. "What the fuck are you doing, old man? Drive the damn car!"
Startled, the driver laughed nervously. "Sorry, sorry, I got excited. I’ve never met someone famous before."
"Famous for almost getting charged with murder," Liam muttered darkly.
The rest of the ride continued with the driver practically vibrating in joy. He kept muttering to himself about "celebrity luck" and "god-tier marketing," and Liam was left to sit in confused silence.
When they finally pulled up in front of Liam’s apartment complex, the young man reached into his pocket to pull out a few bills.
"Here. This should cover it."
But the old man pushed the money back into his hand with a wide, almost reverent smile.
"Keep the money, King. This ride’s on me."
Liam blinked. "What?"
"I said, it’s free. You made my whole damn year just riding in my cab. This picture’s gonna pay for my daughter’s next semester. You—you are a blessing."
Liam didn’t say a word. He simply stepped out of the car in stunned silence, pocketing the money again.
As the cab drove off, honking twice in celebration, Liam turned toward the building.
His mind was still spinning from the weird interaction, but somewhere deep inside, he couldn’t help the small grin that curved his lips.
"Fucking hell," he muttered. "What did I miss while I was inside?"
And as he entered his house, a sarcastic thought drifted through his mind.
If my dead father saw me right now, he’d probably come back to life just to shoot me in the head.
He had two hundred thousand dollars and he is out here celebrating a free one-dollar cab ride like he just won the lottery.
But he didn’t care. A dollar saved was a dollar earned. That was Liam’s logic.
---
