Chapter 91

The acquittal meant nothing to the public.Half the internet still believed Penking was guilty. Said the jury was bought. Said money always won. Said reformed criminals never really changed.Comments. Articles. Opinion pieces.All saying the same thing. That Amelia was naive. That she was complicit. That she’d helped a monster walk free.She stopped reading them after the third day.But the damage to Second Chances was real.Three major donors had pulled funding during the trial. Two more after the acquittal. Said they couldn’t be associated with the controversy.Twelve kids had been pulled from the program by worried parents.Four staff members quit. Said they couldn’t work in the environment anymore.The building in Brooklyn had been vandalized. Windows smashed. Spray paint on the walls.Penking walked through it on a Tuesday morning. Hands in his pockets. Face blank.Amelia walked beside him. Said nothing.What was there to say?“We rebuild,” he said finally. Voice flat.“Yeah. We

Chapter 92

Viktor’s trial lasted six weeks.They didn’t attend. Didn’t want to. Had given their statements to the prosecutors and stepped back.Let justice handle itself for once.Updates came through Marcus. Evidence presented. Witnesses. Documentation.All the things Viktor had done. Building over seven years. Carefully. Methodically.Planning Penking’s destruction like it was a business.The jury took four days.Guilty on all counts. Fraud. Conspiracy. Obstruction.Sentenced to twelve years.Marcus called with the news. “It’s done. Viktor’s going to prison for a long time.”Amelia sat with the information. Let it sink in.“How does it feel?” Penking asked later.“Anticlimactic. I thought I’d feel more.”“Me too. I thought I’d feel. Relief. Victory. Something big. But mostly I just feel tired.”“Same.” She leaned against him. “Is it wrong that I feel sorry for him? Slightly?”“Viktor?”“He spent seven years planning this. Seven years of his life. And for what? He’s in prison. We’re still here.

Chapter 93

Spring came with warmth and new beginnings.Penking officially handed Second Chances to a board of directors. Three counselors who’d been with the program from the early days. People he trusted. People who understood the mission.He attended the transition ceremony. Small. Just staff and current kids.One of the counselors, Maria, said, “This program exists because of you. Because you believed change was possible. And you proved it. Every day.”Penking nodded. Didn’t trust his voice.A kid named Marcus. Sixteen. Angry eyes but soft underneath.He stood up. “I came here because I had nowhere else to go. My mom was using. My dad was gone. Courts sent me here as part of probation. I hated it.”Laughter from the crowd.“But Mr. Penking. He didn’t treat me like I was broken. Didn’t look at me like I was a case file. He looked at me like I was a person.” The kid’s voice steadied. “And nobody had done that in a long time. So. Thank you. For building this. For believing first. So we could lea

All Chapters of Ten Ways To Kill Alpha PENKING : Chapter 91 - Chapter 93

Chapter 91

Chapter 92

Chapter 93