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𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬°°°Sophia opens the door to Breanna—in a well-tailored uniform, eyes bloodshot from stress and sleeplessness, clutching Junior's hand tightly.Before she could open her mouth or say a thing, Breanna slammed her. “What kept you so long?” Her dominance cracked. “Suspension has made you lazy.”Sophia hesitated but shook her head. “I was cleaning, that's why. Good morning, ma'am.” She crouched a little and caressed the little boy's face. “Morning, Junior.”“Morning, Aunt Sophia,” Junior tendered, looking disheveled, eyes red from crying.“The panel is happening today,” Breanna said as she strode into the apartment gracefully and took a seat. Sophia shut the door and followed.“Yes, ma'am.” Sophia licked her dry lips. “I heard about your suspension. Sorry for that.” Breanna turned her gaze to Sophia. “I know deep down you prayed for it. Your karma is definitely magnetic.”Sophia felt her blood sugar spike instantly—how could Breanna mirror her thoughts so accu
𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬°°°Antonio carries Maya up through the ship’s narrow companionway, ignoring the half-shadowed stares of the crew. The wet sound of her breathing against his throat and the rhythmic creak of metal under his boots anchored him until he settled them both into the blacked-out speedboat tied at the lowest pier. One hand stayed on the wheel; the other kept constant touch— sometimes between her shoulder blades. Patting, the next second, brushing her sweat-damp hair like a brother would do. Just anything to remind her she’s no longer restrained.None of them uttered a word for some time, but then halfway across the black water Maya’s voice cracked the silence, asking if she could remove her blindfold.“Can I take the band off now?”Antonio waited for a small beat, then answered without turning. “Go on.”She clawed at the knot with trembling fingers. And in seconds, the blindfold fell away. Her red-rimmed eyes locked on his profile. The very last person she'd p
𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬°°°°Antonio parked by the side of the road and approached slowly, stopping a few feet away."Why drown in grief when you had every tendency to stop it?”Liza looked at him, no words at first. Then, quietly straightened to full length. “That night, blood, bullet... it was all chaos. My fault. Not yours. I choose to be a mother”“I never knew he was your son,” Antonio choked, overwhelmed by Liza's sorrow.She studied him for a long moment. “Same way you'd swear about Maya” “Maya?” Antonio repeated, confused.“Don't waste her the way you did with Willow.” Liza said simply. “I already have you released.”“What are you saying?” Liza turned and walked away, disappearing into the throng. But Antonio's eyes lingered in her direction until she boarded a bus.Though no elaboration, the silent stare and attitude told Antonio all he needed to know. He went back to the car and retrieved his phone and dialed Grinch.“Where's Maya and Nevena?”“Tourist is in safe hands
𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬°°°The courtroom reconvened after the thirty-minute recess, the air thick with anticipation. Judge Harlan walked to the bench, with a face carved from granite. The earlier exhaustion had vanished, replaced by something colder—disgust, irritation.He settled the file in front of him and the murmurs died instantly.Everyone rose on their feet.He wasted no time. “I have reviewed the submitted materials,” he began, voice controlled “including the contents of the flash drive.”A silence fell and Breanna’s jaw tightened.“Detective Stewart,” he said, tone turning lethal, “the conduct captured in those recordings is not merely unbecoming of an officer—it is a gross abuse of authority and a stain on this department.”He paused, and the gallery stirred, uncertain what horrors the footage had revealed. Breanna's face drained of color, she gripped the table edge so hard her knuckles whitened.The prosecutor shifted uncomfortably, already sensing the verdict tilting
𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬°°°Liza walked slowly, hands clasped white-knuckled. She didn’t look at Antonio as she took the stand, but he was watching her every move— maybe resent or remorse.She swore in without blinking, awaiting the prosecutor's question.“Mrs Liza Minnelli— native of Sombra Azul and also John Minnelli mother?” the judge read from the file in front of him, and she replied with a nod. “Counselor!” the judge called, slouching forward, toward the prosecutor. “You can go ahead” The prosecutor adjusted his cufflinks and called up Antonio to the stand, then he turned to Liza with a confident aura. “Mrs Minnelli— do you know this man?”The courtroom held its breath as Liza scrutinized Antonio from head to toe. “Yes” she managed after a long pause. “I know him”“Okay” the prosecutor clasped his hands in triumph, dismissing Antonio. “Ma’am can you please give this court an account of how he murdered your Willow.”“Willow?” Liza repeated —only this time her voice cracked
𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚'𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬°°°An hour later….The visiting room smelled of stale coffee and old sweat. Antonio sat cuffed to the metal table, wrists raw, shirt still stiff with dried river water and Nevena’s blood. His face was stone—eyes fixed on the scuffed linoleum as he awaited his visitor.The door opened quietly and revealed Grinch, alone. He stood in the doorway a long moment before stepping inside the holding cell. The door clicked shut behind him. Just two men who’d grown up bleeding together.He didn’t speak at first, he just looked at Antonio— trying to recognize someone he used to know. Cuffed wrists, blood-stiff shirt, this man before him was different.“You signed it,” he said at last. The words came out quiet, almost careful, like he was afraid saying them too loud would make them real. “No lawyer. No call. Nothing.”Antonio didn’t lift his head.“We had everything lined up,” Grinch continued, voice dropping lower. “He offered Malaysia for your extraction route. Cle







