Semua Bab Midnight Heat: Bab 141 - Bab 150

Maya’s POVGunfire cracked through the dark halls of the Cross estate like breaking glass. I stayed low behind the long dining table with Liam pressed close beside me. The candles still burned, throwing wild shadows across the walls as men shouted and ran in every direction. Julian’s followers and Havisham’s remaining loyalists had turned the grand mansion into a battlefield.“Stay down,” Liam whispered against my ear. His hand found mine under the table and squeezed hard. “We move when I say.”Elena crawled toward us from the far wall, her tablet clutched to her chest. “The back service corridor is still clear for now,” she said in a tight voice. “Damien is covering the east hallway with Chloe. We have to reach the side garden before more of them flood this floor.”I nodded and kept the small recorder safe in my pocket. Sarah’s evidence lived on that device and in the files we carried. Losing any of it would waste everything she had fought for. Damien’s voice came through the radio e

Maya’s POVI turned slowly toward the open warehouse door. The single light above it cast a thin yellow circle on the concrete. A figure stepped out of the shadows. My knees almost gave way.Sarah stood there.She looked thinner than I remembered. Her hair was shorter, pulled back roughly. Dark circles marked her eyes, and a faint scar ran along one cheek. But it was her. The same eyes. The same face I had carried in every photograph and every memory for so long.“Little sister,” she said again, her voice shaking.I dropped the bag of evidence. It hit the ground with a dull thud. My feet moved before my mind could catch up. I ran the short distance and threw my arms around her. She felt real. Warm. Solid. Her arms wrapped around me just as tight. We held each other so hard it hurt.Tears spilled down my face. I could not stop them. Sarah’s shoulders shook against mine. She pressed her face into my hair and whispered my name over and over.“You’re alive,” I said, the words breaking. “Y

Maya’s POVThe courthouse steps felt cold under my shoes as I climbed them with Liam beside me. Reporters crowded the sidewalk below, their cameras already pointed our way. Havisham’s trial was set to begin in less than an hour. Sarah waited near the entrance with Elena and Damien. Chloe had stayed with the children at a secure location. The air smelled of rain and fresh concrete.Liam touched my arm. “Stay close. The media will twist every word you say today.”I nodded and kept walking. “I know. We only need the truth to reach the jury. Sarah’s evidence is already with the prosecutors.”Elena met us at the top of the steps. Her face looked tighter than usual. “Something feels off,” she said in a low voice. “Security is heavier than expected. Extra officers near the side entrance.”Damien scanned the crowd. “I counted three unmarked cars on the east side. They were not here yesterday.”Sarah stepped closer and linked her arm through mine. “We go in together. Whatever happens, we stay

Maya’s POVThe courtroom felt larger than I remembered when I walked to the witness stand. Every seat was filled. Reporters sat in the back rows with notepads ready. Havisham watched from the defense table with a blank face. Julian was not present, still held in another facility. Sarah sat beside Liam in the front row. Elena and Damien stayed close behind them. My lawyer gave me a small nod as I raised my right hand and swore to tell the truth.I sat down and faced the prosecutor. My hands rested flat on the wooden ledge. I kept my back straight even though my heart beat hard against my ribs.“Please state your full name for the record,” the prosecutor said.“Maya,” I answered. “I am Sarah’s sister and the guardian of her children.”The prosecutor moved closer. “You have been accused of many things during this investigation. Some people claim you sought revenge against the Cross family. Others say you invented stories for attention. Today you have the chance to speak for yourself. Tel

Maya’s POVHavisham stood at the defense table with both hands resting on the polished wood. His lawyers sat frozen beside him. The judge leaned forward.“You understand that anything you say can be used against you,” the judge said. “You still wish to speak without counsel?”“I do,” Havisham answered. His voice sounded rough, older than it had on the first day of the trial. “I will not let others rewrite what happened.”He turned toward the jury. “Julian planned this collapse for years. He turned board members against me. He moved money through accounts I no longer fully controlled. He kept Sarah alive so he could use her knowledge when the time came. Victoria helped him. She passed information and covered his tracks. Maya arrived and became a useful tool for both of them. She brought attention. She brought pressure. She made the empire look weak.”Sarah’s hand tightened around mine under the table. Liam sat still on my other side. Elena watched every word with her tablet ready.Havi