LOGINWENT-WORTH CORRECTIONAL PRISON ~ NEW YORK Amelia lay on the thin mattress in her prison cell, staring at the cracked ceiling. The lights had gone out hours ago. The only sounds were distant echoes of doors clanging and someone coughing down the hall. Her body felt heavy from another long day. She closed her eyes, hoping sleep would come fast.Soon, the hard bed seemed softer. The air felt warmer. She heard footsteps outside her cell, then the door opened with a soft click instead of the usual loud bang. A tall man stepped inside. Miguel. He wore a simple dark shirt that hugged his broad shoulders and jeans that looked well-worn. His dark eyes caught the faint light from the hallway and softened when they landed on her.“Amelia,” he said quietly, his voice deep and warm like “I couldn’t stay away any longer.”She sat up slowly, her heart beating faster. “Miguel? How did you get in here? They don’t let anyone—”He crossed the small space in two steps and knelt beside her bed. Hi
LANGSTON MANSION — FRONT DOOR — SECONDS LATERDamien walked to the door slowly. His hand trembled slightly as he reached for the handle. He leaned forward and looked through the peephole.His face went white."Son of a bitch," he whispered.Sophia's voice cracked. "What? Who is it?"Damien turned to her, his eyes wide with panic. "It's the police. And they brought the FBI. Four of them. Maybe five."Sophia sank onto the couch. Her whole body was shaking. "Oh God. Oh God, what do we do? What do we say?"Harrison stepped forward. "Say nothing until I tell you. Follow my lead. Let me do the talking."Damien took a deep breath and opened the door.Three officers stood outside—no, four. Two in police uniforms. Two in dark suits with FBI badges clipped to their belts. The lead agent was tall, broad-shouldered, with a buzz cut and eyes like steel."Mr. Langston," the FBI agent said. His voice was calm but carried an edge of authority. "I'm Special Agent Miller. We received a report about a
The room went dead quiet.Enzo broke the silence. "Here's what we found out. Gabriella tried to destroy Valerie's career a few years back."Miguel leaned forward. "Why? What happened?""Valerie was defending someone Gabriella wanted to ruin," Enzo explained. "A small business owner who refused to sell his company to Guerra Holdings. Gabriella wanted him crushed. Valerie stepped in to fight for him.""And?""She lost. Badly. Gabriella buried them both. The business owner lost everything. Valerie's reputation took a massive hit. She almost lost her license."Enzo paused. "But here's the thing—Valerie never forgot. Word is, she's been waiting for the right moment to strike back. Waiting for years."He smiled. "And now Amelia's case gave her that chance."Miguel nodded slowly. "So this isn't just business for her.""No," Lucas agreed. "This is personal. Very personal."A slow smile spread across Miguel's face. "Perfect. A lawyer with a grudge against Gabriella. That's exactly what we
Sophia shook her head. "I don't know. I honestly don't know.""Think," Damien said. "Who have you crossed? Threatened? Made an enemy of?"Sophia's mind raced through all the people she'd hurt. All the lives she'd destroyed. There were so many. But one name kept coming back."Amelia," Sophia whispered. "It has to be someone connected to Amelia. Someone who wants to protect her."Damien stared at her. "Amelia is in prison. She can't send dead bodies to anyone.""Then someone's doing it for her," Sophia said. "Someone powerful. Ruthless. Someone who wants me to back off."Damien grabbed his phone and started scrolling. "Rebecca Stein was a high-profile lawyer. Her murder is all over the news. The police will be here any minute. They'll ask questions. They'll investigate."Sophia's eyes went wide. "We can't tell them the truth. We can't tell them I paid her.""Then what do we say?" Damien snapped. "That a dead body magically appeared in a gift box? That we have no idea who sent it?""Yes,
Miguel's Safe House - Basement - NightThe basement was quiet. A single light bulb buzzed overhead.Miguel sat at a long metal table, hands folded, face unreadable. Lucas stood by the door with his arms crossed. Enzo leaned against the wall, watching security footage on his laptop. Marco paced back and forth, unable to stand still.Miguel looked around slowly."So?" he said calmly. "Tell me what happened at the Langston mansion."Lucas stepped forward, grinning. "Boss, it was perfect."Miguel raised an eyebrow.Lucas laughed."Sophia was live-streaming the whole thing. She opened the first gift box and couldn't stop smiling it was filled with Designer bags. Jewelry. Expensive stuff exactly the way we planned it. She showed everything off to her followers like she'd won the lottery."A few men chuckled.Lucas continued. "Then she opened the third box." He burst out laughing. "Boss... I've never heard anyone scream that loud."Marco smirked. "What did she do?"Lucas acted it out. "
ALEJANDRO'S PENTHOUSE — LIVING ROOM — EVENINGAlejandro burst through the front door of his penthouse like a hurricane. His suit was wrinkled, his tie was hanging loose, and his eyes were still red and swollen from crying. But underneath all that pain, there was something else now—anger. Pure, burning fury.Gabriella was lounging on the sofa in a flowing silk gown, a glass of wine in her hand and a smug smile on her face. The moment she saw him, her expression shifted to one of concern, but Alejandro wasn't fooled. Not anymore."Alejandro!" she exclaimed, rising to her feet. "My love, what happened? You look terrible. What did she say to you?"Alejandro ignored her completely. He walked straight past her and stood in the middle of the living room, his chest heaving with anger."Don't," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't you dare pretend to care about me right now, Gabriella. Don't you dare act like you're worried about me."Gabriella's eyes widened with feigned innocence
DANIEL PENTHOUSE ~ NEW YORK “Too many.” Daniel sat back down. “But that’s not going to be Martino’s life. I won’t let it be. Yes, he’s the heir. Yes, he’ll have responsibilities. But I’m going to raise him to be better than my father. Better than my grandfather. Better than the whole damn Blackwo
BLACKWOOD INDUSTRIES - BOARD ROOM - MORNINGThe monthly board meeting was in full swing. Twenty executives sat around the massive mahogany table, reviewing quarterly reports and discussing merger strategies. Alexander Blackwood sat at the head of the table, looking every bit the powerful patriarch
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
“Yes.”“You wanted revenge,” Sofia continued smoothly. “You wanted him to suffer for choosing Amelia. This is what real revenge looks like. It’s not tears. It’s not shouting. It’s strategy.”Gabriella swallowed. “And it will work?”“Oh, it will work,” Sofia said calmly. “But once we start, there’s







