Chapter 161

Chapter 161
"Gate 27B. Last call for flight 489 to São Paulo," the calm, automated voice echoed over the airport intercom.

Detective Marcus was concealed behind a pillar, his striking eyes scouring the busy terminal. So excited, he could hardly contain his accelerating heartbeat. He then glanced at his watch-just at this time, Olivia's got to pop up. 

Every single lead, each and every crumb-into which he had looked-intimidated him before it all boiled down into this. Marcus reached for his radio.

"All units, Gate 27B. This one's not going to make it," ordered Marcus.

Across the terminal, Olivia sashayed confidently through the crowd, arm linked with a man whose face bore a cruel smirk—Sebastian Reyes, the man who had framed Bernice three years ago. 

They looked relaxed, like a couple off on a romantic getaway. Olivia's sunglasses shielded her eyes, but her smile was bold, too bold. She believed she had won.

“They really thought they could stop us?" Sebastian whispered, his hand tightly squeezing hers.

"Not a chance. By the time they figure out what happened, we'll be halfway to Brazil," Olivia snickered, turning once to check if they were being followed.

But Detective Marcus was two steps ahead. He nodded to his team, and the men moved in quietly.

"Olivia Fernandez, Sebastian Reyes! You're under arrest!" Marcus's voice thundered across the terminal as if the din of the airport was but a whisper.

Olivia froze. Her sunglasses slipped down her nose, and wide, panicked eyes stared into the room. Instinctively, Sebastian stepped backward, but it was too late. They were surrounded by officers, guns drawn.

"No!" Olivia shrieked, fighting as two officers seized her arms. "You can't do this! You have no idea who you're messing with!”

"Oh, we know exactly who we're dealing with," Marcus said calmly, slapping handcuffs onto her wrists. "And you've run out of places to hide."

Sebastian suddenly took a run for it but was promptly tackled by one of the other officers, crashing him to the ground so that his face pressed into the cool tile floor. In a second, he too was cuffed.

"You're making a big mistake!" Sebastian growled, yanking on his handcuffs. “I don't know anything.” 

“The only mistake was thinking you could get away,” Marcus shot back, turning back to Olivia. “This time, it's really over.”


The police station was abuzz with tension. Outside, hordes of reporters, flashing their cameras, jostled for space as Bernice, Rafael, and Alexander arrived. The trio exchanged glances awkwardly, but each was lost in his or her thoughts.

Inside, behind the interrogation glass, Olivia sat, her makeup smeared by tears and frustration, looking toward the door as if in anticipation of the inevitable confrontation.

The creaking door swung open. In walked Ethan-first, his white face sunken without words, but only betrayal in one stare. A sneering curl took over Olivia's lips.

"You have no right to be here," she snarled forward. "None of this concerns you.”

Ethan's fists were clenched. "No right? You've dragged me into this hell! You used me, Olivia! You lied about everything!

Olivia rolled her eyes coolly. "Save it. You knew in your head from the very beginning what we were up to.”

Ethan's voice broke with his anger. "I didn't know you were capable of this! Kidnapping, framing Bernice, manipulating me into infiltrating the Fernandez family. And now you're telling me-" He broke off, his chest heaving. "That Dante…he's not my son?"

Olivia leaned back in her chair, her face unreadable. "He never was. You were convenient, Ethan. Nothing more.”

A chill in the silence filled the room. Ethan reeled back as though he had been punched physically. "You. you were using me to get closer to Rafael, to get to Bernice."

"And it succeeded," Olivia spat. "Until now. But don't act innocent. You are enjoying the power, the influence. Just don't pretend you didn't.”

Ethan shook his head, instantly welling up with water in his eyes. "I loved you, Olivia. I did all for you. And you-" He choked on his words and finally cracked his voice. "You threw it all away because of him?" He pointed toward the window where Sebastian was being processed.

Oliva's face contorted. "Love?" She laughed cynically. "You call that love? You were my pawn, Ethan. A means to an end. And now you're useless to me."

Ethan's body shook with anger. His fists pounded onto the table. "You'll rot in prison for this."

"I doubt that," Olivia said calmly, her voice uncomfortably so.

In the observation room, Rafael and Bernice stood shoulder to shoulder, observing the heated exchange. Alexander was a few paces behind them, arms crossed, eyes darting between them.

Rafael's jaw clenched. "She's unrepentant. Even now."

Bernice shook her head. Her voice came out soft, but resolute. "I knew she was dangerous, but this. I never imagined."

Alexander stepped forward. “What happens now? She’s not going to give up. Even behind bars, she’ll find a way to cause damage.”

Rafael turned to face him, his expression grim. “We’ll make sure she can’t. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my family.”

Alexander’s eyes narrowed. “Your family?” He scoffed. “You mean Bernice and the children? Don’t fool yourself. They don’t need you.”

Rafael's stare turned darker. "They need protection, Alexander. Obviously, something you failed at when Luca was taken."

The subtext snapped between them, electric, until Bernice stepped in between the two, an edge to her voice, "Stop it. The both of you. This has nothing to do with us. This is about the children."

These two men fell silent, but their eyes still smoldered, though, unspoken.

Coming out of the police station into the cool night air was a relief after the stifling tension of the place. Reporters surged forward, shouting questions as the officers held them at bay.

Bernice exhaled wearily, massaging her temples. "I just can't believe it's finally over. but why does it feel just like this isn’t the end  of it all?"

Rafael laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Because it is. We've exposed Olivia, but there's more to uncover. We'll get through this together."

"Together?" Alexander's voice cut through the air as he seized up Bernice's hand, firm yet not forcing. "Bernice, you don't have to go with him. Come back to Florence with me. Let me protect you and the children.

Rafael stepped forward, his face unyielding. He reached for Bernice's other hand and refused to let it go. "She stays with me. We are still a family, Alexander. You need to accept that."

Bernice's eyes darted from one man to the other, her heart racing with a wild cadence. The weight of their words pressed expectation down on her, leaving her breathless.

Bernice, you know this isn't right," Alexander pleaded. "He's manipulating you, using your fear. Don't let him control you again."

Rafael's eyes blazed with an inner fire. "I'm not manipulating her. I'm protecting what's mine. Our family. And I won't let you tear us apart.”

The tension between them crackled through the air. Bernice felt paralyzed, caught between the two men who both thought they were fighting in her best interest. She wanted to scream, break free from their grasp, and get out of the suffocating pressure.

"Please," she whispered softly, almost inaudibly. "Don't make me choose right now."

Alexander's hand squeezed hers for a moment before releasing her. "I am not giving up on you, Bernice. I'll fight for you and the children until my last breath."

Rafael's jaw went tight. "And I'll fight just as hard to keep my family together."

And Bernice said nothing, quite still; and her heart was rent, for the future now not so sure, there being palpable tension between them, her fate hanging precariously in the balance.