MasukThe mayor was frustrated, but he knew he couldn't go against José Santiago.José had too much dirt on his family. Even though the mayor himself had nothing to hide, his family had so many dirty secrets that he want to remain buried forever.His family's legacy was a major part of why he had been elected mayor. People respected his family name because of everything his father had supposedly done for the city.The schools.The hospitals.The charities.The donations.Everything looked clean from the outside.But the truth was completely different.The money his father had invested in the city had come from drugs and the trafficking of underage girls.It was a secret the mayor was willing to die with.He couldn't allow anyone to find out.Not now.Not ever.The mayor grabbed his phone and immediately called the head of the New York Police Department.He knew exactly what he had to do.Back at the police station, Raymond walked back into the room where José was waiting."I made the call,"
José sat calmly in the interrogation room while Detective Alvarez watched him through the glass.For fifteen minutes, Alvarez didn't move.He simply stood there, staring at the man he had hunted for sixteen years.Sixteen years of chasing José Santiago, gathering information, following leads, watching cases fall apart, and seeing the man somehow slip through every gap.And now José was sitting right there.Behind a glass window.In police custody.José had taken so much from him over the years. He had caused him pain, frustration, and sleepless nights. Alvarez had watched innocent people suffer because of José's criminal activities, and every time he thought he was finally close to catching him, José found a way to disappear.But today was different.Today, José had nowhere to run.He would build a case so strong against José, a case that will lock him up forever.José's men were being interrogated in separate rooms. Some were nervous, some were angry, and some refused to speak.But J
Eileen went to bed very early that night.She was so frustrated and emotionally exhausted that her whole body felt weak. She had spent the entire day waiting for some kind of news from Detective Alvarez, but nothing came. Every time she checked the secret phone, there was nothing new. Every minute that passed made her feel like she had made a huge mistake by putting her hope in the detective.She tossed and turned for a while before finally falling asleep.When she woke up at 6:30 a.m., she immediately felt a dull headache pounding against her temples. She sat up slowly, rubbing her forehead before reaching for a tablet of ibuprofen. She swallowed it with some water and sat on the edge of the bed for a few seconds.She felt tired.Not the kind of tiredness that sleep could fix.She was tired of being afraid. Tired of hiding. Tired of pretending everything was normal while secretly waiting for the next disaster to happen.Eventually, she dragged herself out of bed and walked toward Jos
It had been almost a week since Eilleen had informed Detective Alvarez about José's shipments being moved. Since then, whenever she asked for feedback, the only response she got from the detective was that they were onto it.For the first few days, those words had given her hope.But for the last three days, she hadn't texted him at all. She had started losing hope and doubting herself. What if Mrs. Maya was wrong about people? What if she was wrong to believe that she could actually bring José down?Was she really doing the right thing?These were the questions that kept running through Eilleen's mind.Everything had been strangely quiet and calm in the mansion. Even José had become more distant than usual. His men were also unusually quiet, and Eilleen couldn't read the situation or understand what was going on.The silence scared her more than the shouting and threats ever had.Why hadn't José moved the illegal goods yet? What was causing the delay?Eilleen sat in the kitchen with
As soon as Detective Alvarez received the message from Eilleen, he immediately started putting his team together. They took turns hiding around the port, keeping a close eye on the boat.This was a very big opportunity for him, and he was taking it very seriously.José Santiago was a big criminal in New York who somehow had no criminal record at all. For the last sixteen years, Alvarez had been after José Santiago, and every time he felt like he finally had him, something would happen and the evidence would never be enough.But this time was different.For the first time, he had something strong.Something strong enough to bring José Santiago in custodyThis case was personal to him. It was a case he had poured in sweat and blood into, and he wasn't ready to give up now. Not at all.This was a golden opportunity, and he wasn't going to let it slip through his fingers.He also couldn't let down the person who was risking his or her life to provide him with this information.For five d
Back in Canada, Steve and Kate had moved on with their lives—or at least, they pretended they had.Even though they tried not to talk about Mia, Kate still checked her messages, emails, and social media almost every day, hoping she might have received something from her. Sometimes, she would go to Mia's Instagram page and scroll through her pictures for several minutes. She couldn't deny how much she missed her.As for Steve, everything in the house still reminded him of Mia.The sofas. The bed. The kitchen. The living room. Even the little things he had never paid attention to before somehow reminded him of her.Sometimes, he would stop in the middle of the house because he could swear the air still carried her scent, as if she were standing right there with him.Even Henry reminded him of Mia.His eyes looked like hers, and sometimes, when he laughed, Steve could hear Mia's laugh in his.Steve had made excuses every time Kate mentioned clearing out Mia's closet. He wanted to pack he
Chapter Seven Eileen stood in front of the mirror, brushing her hair. Lately, she’d been thinking a lot about Henry and Steve. She wished she could just pick up the phone and call, but that would be a dangerous risk to take.The door creaked open—José walked into the room. It had been five days si
Chapter Six Eileen walked in on Josh in the kitchen. He stood in front of the open fridge, looking for food.“Good morning, Josh,” she said softly.Josh didn’t respond.“I can see you’re hungry. I made some spaghetti with prawns. I wanted to bring some for you, but you were still asleep. Just give
Chapter Five Josh slammed the door behind him, and the sound echoed through the hallway like a final verdict. Hot tears blurred his vision as he stared down at the shredded drawing on the floor. His breath hitched. His chest tightened. He knelt beside the torn pieces—trembling hands reaching ou
Chapter 4Kate stayed beside Steve in the hospital. Sitting on the grey couch, beside his bed, she prayed to God every minute that he pulled through. The doctor had given her a bit of hope that he might pull through. Though a thousand questions ran through her mind, her top priority remained Steve







