The murmurs in the courtroom faded the moment the heavy doors opened. All rose to their feet as the judge stepped in, his black robe flowing as he approached the bench. With a firm yet composed voice, he spoke. “You may be seated.” Everyone sat back down... Judge Castillo adjusted his himself on the chair and scanned the faces before him, Rafael and Thersa on one side, Diego and his legal team on the other. “We’re here to proceed with the final custody hearing concerning the minor, DJ Mondragon.” He looked up again.. “Today, both parties will be allowed to present final arguments and evidence. The court has also received additional materials that have raised significant concerns, including media coverage, emotional evaluations, and behavioral reports from supervised visits.” Thersa’s fingers trembled slightly as she laced them together. Rafael glanced sideways at her, calm but alert. Diego sat smugly, a shadow of confidence playing in his posture. Judge Castillo continued, “T
The room was quiet except for the ticking clock on the wall.Thersa sat on the cushioned bench, her palms slightly damp as she waited. The door opened and she stood up at once.Diego walked in first, holding DJ’s hand. The little boy’s eyes scanned the room and stopped on Thersa. He paused but didn’t say anything.Thersa took a careful step forward, offering a soft smile. “Hi, sweetheart.”DJ looked at her for a moment, then turned his gaze away.“You don’t have to say anything,” Thersa said gently. “I’m just… I’m happy to see you.”Diego gave a soft chuckle and said, “We could have been a great family, Thersa… but you chose to abandon us.”“You don’t have to be here,” Thersa replied quietly to Diego..“I asked him to be,” DJ cut in sharply. “Do you have a problem with that?”Thersa swallowed hard, caught off guard by his tone.“I don’t feel safe being alone with you,” DJ added. “What if you make me go missing or something?”Thersa’s eyes shifted up to Diego with a hurt look, but he
Rafael parked outside the small, grey-stoned police station, his jaw tight as he stepped out of the car. He had just left Thersa’s office.Inside, the front desk officer looked up as he entered.“I’m here to speak with the truck driver involved in the missing goods case from Harrison Fashion House,” Rafael said firmly.“Ah, yes. He’s still in the holding room. Detective Nunez is with him,” the officer replied.. "You can wait in the observation room.”The officer led Rafael through a quiet corridor and opened a small door. Inside, the truck driver sat alone at a table, his head low until he looked up and saw Rafael enter.“You… you’re from the company,” the man said nervously.Rafael nodded, closing the door behind him. “I’m Rafael Wood. Partner to Miss Harrison.”“I swear, sir,” the driver blurted out, “I didn’t steal anything. I’ve never even been written up before. This whole thing....... is”Rafael held up a hand. “I’m not here to attack you. I just want the truth.”The man exhaled
Diego dropped the newspaper on his desk so hard the glass rattled. The headline read : Fashion House Owner Thersa Harrison Suffers Major Setback: Entire Winter Collection Stolen Days Before Release He leaned back in his chair and laughed. “How can someone like her be trusted with a child when she can’t even protect her own designs?” His lawyer stood by the window with a folder in hand. “Your Honor will see this,” he said. “If we present the theft as proof of her instability and distraction, it weakens her case. It shows she can’t manage her own affairs, let alone a child’s.” Diego frowned. “And that’s enough to strip her of any claim to DJ?” The lawyer nodded. “Yes. If we lay it out clearly, the judge will doubt her ability to provide a stable home.” Diego allowed himself a slow, satisfied smile. The media was doing their work for him. “And even the fact that she was in rehab, which we have proof of, will only add to it,” the lawyer said. Diego leaned forward, his int
"Thersa had already been through enough, her long-awaited collection release had completely fallen apart. And now, instead of salvaging what was left, she was in court, fighting alongside Rafael for the one thing that still mattered her son."Rafael gently squeezed her hands… "Everything is going to be alright," he said softly."I hope so..." Thersa murmured, her voice barely holding steady as she sat down.Just then, footsteps echoed from down the hallway. Several men walked ahead and behind them came Diego holding the hand of a young boy.Thersa's heart leapt as she suddenly sprang up."My son," she whispered.Before anyone could stop her, she rushed past the guards. "DJ!" she cried out, throwing her arms around him.She collapsed into his small frame, weeping freely. "I missed you so much," she said, pulling back only to look at his face…his eyes, his nose, his smile…everything she had dreamed about for years. "I'm so sorry… so sorry I haven’t been in your life all these years,"
The morning sun barely warmed the air as Grace entered the fashion house, her eyes immediately scanned for Thersa. Staff moved quietly, Orders were backing up and no one knew what to say.Theresa was already at her desk, still in yesterday’s clothes, her eyes were glued to her tablet, searching through emails and tracking numbers again for the hundredth time.“Any word from the warehouse or the driver?” she asked without looking up.Grace shook her head.“Nothing. I tried calling the delivery driver's line again this morning. Still switched off. And warehouse security says no new footage has turned up.”Thersa rubbed her temples and let out a deep sigh.“This was supposed to be our biggest launch of the year. Limited winter release… all the pre-orders are lined up and now the key pieces are just gone.”Grace stepped forward, hesitant.“Do you think… someone might’ve done this intentionally?”Thersa looked up slowly, her eyes sharp now.“I don’t think. I know.”There was a brief silenc