LOGINFAVINO PENTHOUSE – LIVING ROOM – 10:00 A.M.The morning sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the luxurious penthouse with warm light.Gabriella sat comfortably on the cream-colored couch.She wore a silk blouse, designer jeans, and a pair of expensive heels. Her makeup was flawless, her hair perfectly styled, and her freshly painted nails gleamed as she slowly sipped a cup of coffee.A few feet away, Alejandro stood by the window with his phone pressed to his ear.His face was dark with anger.“I don’t care what it takes,” he snapped. “I want full custody of that baby.”He began pacing across the room. “My baby.”His jaw tightened. “Amelia is sitting in prison. She’s been charged with murder. Use that against her.”The lawyer spoke from the other end of the call.“Mr. Favino, it isn’t that simple. Even if she’s in prison, she’s still the child’s legal mother. She still has parental rights.”Alejandro scoffed. “I’ve called her. I’ve begged her to change her mind, th
ARIANA’S APARTMENT – LIVING ROOM – 8:00 P.M.The apartment was small, but it felt warm and comfortable.In the corner, baby Aiden slept peacefully in his crib.Ariana sat on the couch with a glass of wine, scrolling through the news on her phone. Every channel was talking about the same thing.“SOCIALITE ARRESTED FOR LAWYER’S MURDER.”She smiled.It was the kind of smile that came after waiting a long time for justice.But deep down, she was confused. She hadn’t planned Sophia’s arrest.She hadn’t done anything. Someone else had.And whoever that person was had carried out the exact revenge Ariana had always imagined.Ding dong.The doorbell rang.Ariana frowned and walked to the door. She looked through the peephole.Her whole body froze. Her heart skipped a beat.Slowly, she unlocked the door. Standing outside was Miguel Favino.He wore a fitted black shirt and dark pants. A scar cut across his temple, making him look even more dangerous. His face showed no emotion, and his calm ey
Valerie lowered her eyes to the file again and flipped through a few pages.“Let’s start with the basics,” she said. “What exactly has Amelia been charged with? From everything I’ve found so far, she’s facing charges of attempted murder, but there seem to be several other charges too.”Miguel took a deep breath. “She’s been charged with attempted murder by poisoning, criminal conspiracy, and possession of a toxic substance. Gabriella made sure the police believed Amelia planned everything.”Valerie’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s serious.”“It is,” Miguel replied. “If we don’t prove she’s innocent, she could spend the rest of her life behind bars.”Valerie frowned. “How did Gabriella manage to frame her?”Miguel’s face darkened. “She made sure Amelia was seen near Marisa’s room on the night of the poisoning. She planted witnesses who claimed Amelia had access to the poison. Then she paid off the investigators to ignore anything that pointed to the real culprit. Every piece of evidenc
Sophia’s face drained of color. “W-What?” she stammered. “Arrest me? For what?”The police officer unfolded a document and looked straight at her. “We have a warrant for your arrest, Mrs. Blackwood.”He spoke in a calm, firm voice. “You are being arrested in connection with the death of Rebecca Stein.”Sophia froze. “What?” she whispered.The officer continued. “Our investigation found records showing that you made several payments to Ms. Stein. We also have evidence that you threatened her several times in the weeks before her death.”Sophia shot to her feet so quickly that her chair crashed onto the floor.“No!” she shouted. “That’s a lie! I never threatened her!”Her breathing became uneven. “Yes, I paid her, but that’s not a crime! Those payments have nothing to do with her death!”The officer stepped toward her. “Mrs. Blackwood, you are under arrest.”He took out a pair of handcuffs. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court
LANGSTON GROUP HEADQUARTERS – BOARDROOM – 2:00 PMMr. Langston slammed his fist against the mahogany table.“We need solutions! Right now!”The lawyers sitting across from him immediately straightened in their seats.“My daughter’s reputation is being destroyed by the minute,” he continued, his face turning red. “The media is tearing her apart, and you’re all sitting here telling me to wait?”Sophia sat beside him, silent.She looked nothing like the woman who had walked into the gala hours ago.The ruined red dress was gone. In its place was a black pantsuit that made her look powerful and untouchable.But her fingers were shaking in her lap.One of the lawyers opened his folder carefully.Mr. Whitmore cleared his throat. “Mr. Langston, the situation is… complicated. The live stream footage has gone viral. Millions of people have seen what happened when Mrs. Langston opened that box.”Mr. Langston’s face darkened. “I know what they saw!” he snapped. “I have eyes. I have a television.
BLACKWOOD PENTHOUSE ~ NEW YORK CITY Damien's face turned white. He looked at his dad, then at his step mum. His voice shook."Dad… I honestly have no idea."Alexander let out a long, heavy sigh. He rubbed his forehead."Then listen to me very carefully." His voice was quiet but sharp. "The Blackwood family has been around for generations. We've survived wars, money problems, and scandals. But never—and I mean never—has a dead body shown up at our front gate inside a gift box."Total silence.Catalina nodded slowly, her lips pressed tight."This is a whole new level of shame," she said, her voice like ice. "Even for you, Damien."Damien spun toward her, his face twisting with anger."What do you want me to do?" he yelled, throwing his hands up. "Divorce her? Is that what you're saying?"Catalina smiled—just a little, just enough to be cruel."It's not about what I want," she said, tapping her finger on the table. "It's about what you should've done years ago."She crossed her arms a
AMELIA FAVINO PENTHOUSE ~ NEW YORK Amelia stared at her phone screen as another call from Alejandro came through. She watched his name flash for the third time that morning, her finger hovering over the answer button. Then she pressed decline and blocked his number. Again.She couldn’t do this. N
“Can you come over?” Amelia’s voice cracked. “Please. I need—I can’t—”“I’m already in my car,” Ariana said. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Have you eaten anything?”“I don’t—no. I don’t know.”“I’m bringing food. And mezcal.”“You’re eight months pregnant. You can’t drink mezcal.”“The mezcal
FAVINO GRAND MANSION ~ SPAIN The early morning sun was just starting to brighten the sky over Seville when Marisa Favino’s phone lit up with the news alert. She was sitting in the breakfast room of the family estate, sipping her café con leche, when she saw the headline.Her coffee cup clattered
Alejandro walked to the window and looked out at the city just starting to wake up. Somewhere out there, Amelia was probably awake too, dealing with this nightmare. And Leo. God, what was this doing to Leo?“I’ll come home,” he said finally. “I’ll talk to Abuela. But Mamá, I need you to understand







