The Perspective

Permit

ElvynGross Street

Morning, 9:00 AM

“Surprising, isn’t it?” John remarked, gesturing toward the scene.

“What?” Isabella asked, still focused on the accident.

“I mean, look at it—the accident is almost the same. A truck hit the car and the driver fled,” John explained, scanning the wreckage.

“Yes, but did you notice the one big difference?” A familiar voice interrupted.

John and Isabella both groaned. “What now?” John muttered.

“I mean, it's right in front of us,” Jeremy chimed in with a smug look. “Even though everything looks almost the same, have you observed that?”

“Whose idea was it to bring him into the scene?” John groaned.

“Huh? Your stupidity!” Isabella retorted.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Jeremy waved them off, clearly unfazed.

Jason’s Voice (over the phone): “By the way, take Jeremy with you. You might need some help out there.”

“What?! No, seriously?” John and Isabella exclaimed in unison.

Jason was silent for a beat, then added, “Yes, trust me. Just do it.”

“See, Jeremy, I understand your intelligence,” John said sarcastically, “but I think we need more basic leads that people can actually understand.”

Jeremy, undeterred, nodded. “Hmm... Yes, you’re right.”

“Okay,” John sighed. “For now, let’s report what we know, Isabella.”

Isabella nodded. “Yeah, let’s do this.”

“Good morning, everyone, this is Isabella from The DailyTimes—”

“Stop recording!” A gruff voice interrupted from behind.

“Huh? Who’s that?” Jeremy grumbled, turning around.

“We’re from Helfort. Who are you people?” The men stepped forward, their posture aggressive.

“We’re from The DailyTimes, in TwinBroad Street,” John responded, holding his ground.

“Huh? Oh, there’s a news broadcast with that name. Never heard of it,” one of the Helfort men said dismissively. “Do you have a permit?”

“Permit? What is this, a sand deal or something?” Jeremy muttered under his breath.

“Why would we need a permit to report the news?” Isabella asked, equally confused.

“You don’t have a permit? Then vacate. Now,” the Helfort man demanded, shoving John aside.

“Hey! Watch what you’re doing!” Jeremy shouted, but was immediately pushed to the ground by one of them.

Jeremy (thinking): My god... These people are the real deal. We need to get out of here.

John and Isabella exchanged a brief glance. “Isabella, let’s just go,” John suggested, his voice nervous.

“No,” Isabella said, her resolve hardening. “Let’s show them we’re not backing down.”

John, summoning his courage, stood tall. “If you want us to leave, you’ll have to make us.”

The Helfort men eyed him, sizing him up, but didn’t react immediately. It was clear they were prepared to escalate things.

“John, don’t!” Isabella warned, grabbing his arm, but he pulled away.

Before anything could escalate further, one of the Helfort men pushed John again, and Isabella quickly stepped between them.

“John, let’s just go,” she said, her voice firm. “This isn’t worth it.”

Reluctantly, John nodded. They backed away, and Jeremy, still on the ground, scrambled to his feet and took a few hesitant steps toward them.

“I’m outta here,” Jeremy muttered, retreating quickly, clearly terrified.

St. Peter's Hospital, TwinBroad Street

4:00 PM

“Aah! It hurts,” John groaned, wincing as Isabella carefully tended to his wounds.

“See? Told you to stay out of it,” Isabella teased lightly, but her grin was tinged with concern.

“Aha, and you’re the reason I ended up in this mess,” John groaned again, shifting uncomfortably on the hospital bed.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Relax,” Isabella said with a soft smile as she applied some balm to his cuts.

“You know what’s more painful than all this?” John said with a wince. “That b****y Jeremy took the footage, then went and told the chairman we went out for a picnic. Can you believe that?”

Isabella’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Yeah, he’s full of surprises, isn’t he?”

“Even with all these wounds, I had to apologize to Jason first. Ugh! What a nightmare,” John muttered, shaking his head.

“Well, don’t worry, I’m here,” Isabella said with a reassuring smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Helfort News, ElvynGross Street

“Even after you thrashed them, they still released the footage?” the mystery person asked, his voice cold.

“Yes, yes, sir!” one of the g**g members responded, nervously.

“So what do you expect me to say?” the mystery person asked, his tone dark and calculating.

“F-Forgive us, sir...” they stammered.

“Forgive?” the man scoffed. “I did that once, and it nearly killed me.”

“We won’t repeat it again, sir! We swear!” they pleaded.

“You better not,” the mystery man said sharply. “Now, get me something to eat on the way back. I’m starving.”

The g**g members nodded nervously and quickly left the room, clearly relieved to escape his gaze.