“.....I am here. I’m Nathaniel Hawthorne’s lawyer.” Every head turned toward the courtroom doors as they creaked open. A tall woman in a sleek navy pantsuit strode in with composed elegance, her heels clicking crisply against the polished floor. She held a leather case in one hand, her ID in the other. “My name is Evelyn Boswell,” she continued, walking straight toward the front. “I apologize for the delay. My flight was late, and the city’s traffic wasn’t in my favor. But I’m here now. And I trust I’m not too late, Your Honor?” The judge, visibly taken aback by her sudden arrival, gave a slow nod, his gavel still raised mid-air. “You have five minutes, Counselor.” Evelyn wasted no time. She set her case down, opened a file, and stepped forward with sharp precision. “My client, Mr. Nathaniel Hawthorne, is being wrongly accused. Yes, the materials used in the construction site came from his company. But those materials were tampered with during transportation. I have proof.” She
It was Saturday afternoon, and everyone was doing their best to find a way to get Nathan out of the scandal. The weight of the situation pressed on Maya’s chest like a heavy stone. She’d been staring blankly at her phone for what felt like hours, trying to make sense of the endless stream of confusing information. Sophie sat beside her quietly, gently rubbing Maya’s back. “Hey, you okay?” she asked softly. Maya gave a small, tired smile. “I think... I think I might have found something. But no one really understands it.” Sophie nodded. “That’s okay. We’ll figure it out together.” Suddenly, Maya stood up, determination flashing in her eyes. “Joana,” she said firmly. “Joana is a lawyer. A stupid one, but still a lawyer.” Sophie blinked, surprised. “Joana? Really? Are you sure she can help?” Before Maya could answer, Marcus’s voice cut in from the doorway. “Absolutely not.” Maya shot him a look. “Marcus, I’m going. Please start packing. School resumes Monday.” Marcus frowned, try
Inside the dimly lit holding room, Nathan sat on the single metal chair, his hands clasped calmly on the table in front of him. His expression hadn’t changed much since he’d walked in steady, controlled, unbothered. The door creaked open, and an inspector stepped in. Mid-40s, heavyset, face twisted in irritation. He dropped a thick file on the table with a thud. “You want to tell me what you were thinking?” the inspector asked, pacing around the room. “A man is dead. Fake materials from your company killed him.” Nathan didn’t flinch. “I don’t know anything about that.” The inspector slammed his hand down on the metal surface, the sharp sound echoing through the room. “Confess!” Nathan raised a brow, cool as ever. “This isn’t how you speak to people like me. I’ve said what I know. Respect yourself.” “You think your money can save you?” the inspector spat. “I’ll make sure you’re punished. You’ll remember everything, whether you were involved or not.” Nathan tilted his head slight
The kitchen buzzed with quiet activity as the morning sun warmed the countertops. Maya stood at the stove flipping pancakes while Sophie sliced up some fruit. The radio played softly in the background, filling the silence with upbeat music. “You sure you're good for work today?” Maya asked gently, glancing at Sophie over her shoulder. Sophie nodded as she popped a grape in her mouth. “Yeah. I actually feel okay. Being around you guys helped more than I thought.” Maya smiled and reached over to ruffle Sophie’s hair. “Good. But don’t push yourself, okay?” “I won’t.” Maya turned back to the stove. “I can’t wait for Marcus to go back to school, honestly. That guy has way too much time on his hands now.” Sophie giggled. “He cleaned the whole living room like three times yesterday.” “I know, right?” Maya rolled her eyes playfully. “Let him be someone else’s responsibility for a bit.” They both laughed just as Marcus strolled into the kitchen, already dressed in a hoodie and jeans, t
The group sat together, talking about random things. Jason shared a stupid story about the time he mistook expired mayonnaise for vanilla pudding. Ariel teased him mercilessly, while Maya kept refilling cups with juice and passing out small bowls of the snacks they brought. Sophie didn’t say much, but she was smiling and for Maya and Marcus, that was enough. They even put on a short, silly TikTok dance challenge, with Ariel dragging Maya into doing it and Sophie laughing so hard she had to hold her stomach. Jason stood back like he was too cool to join but ended up doing the worst dance of them all. Even Nathan cracked a smile. As the sky outside began to dim, the laughter settled into a quiet calm. Jason stood up first. “Alright. I think we should head out. You need rest.” Nathan nodded. “Yeah. We’ll check in tomorrow.” Ariel hugged Sophie gently. “If you need anything and I mean anything you call me. Or send smoke signals. Or whisper my name three times in a mirror.” “I’ll ke
Sophie’s heart was pounding.When she heard her mother’s voice screaming from the living room. “You think you can touch my husband and get away with it?! He told me everything, Sophie. You little witch!” Sophie turned, stunned. “Mom… he tried to touch me! He cornered me in the kitchen, I defended myself......” Before she could finish, a loud slap echoed through the house. Her cheek stung instantly. “You're always lying! Always causing problems in this house!” her mother screamed, grabbing Sophie by the hair and yanking her down. Sophie stumbled to the floor as the blows kept coming slaps, kicks. Her mother was blinded by rage and lies. “I gave up everything for that man, and you want to destroy it?!” she yelled, throwing a towel at Sophie. Sophie crawled back, shielding her face. “I’m your daughter! Why won’t you believe me?!” But her words didn’t reach. Breathing heavily, with tears streaming down her face, Sophie scrambled to her feet. She ran to her room, her body aching, h