Chapter 119 Custody

Chapter 119 Custody
Aunt Grace’s POV
Rain tapped softly against the narrow window of the small law office.
The room smelled faintly of old paper and instant coffee. The furniture was cheap but clean, and the walls were lined with filing cabinets that had clearly been there for years.
I sat across from Mr. Santos, smoothing the front of my inexpensive skirt while he adjusted his glasses and reviewed the documents spread across his battered wooden desk.
At the top of the stack was a printed photograph from yesterday’s school incident.
Aleli was curled against the metal lockers, her eyes wide with terror, her hands clutching her head while students surrounded her with their phones raised.
Beside the photograph were several printed articles from local digital tabloids detailing her breakdown and the scandal involving Kristoff Ricafort.
“The public reaction has been swift, Mrs. Grace,” Mr. Santos said carefully. “The video is damaging. Anyone watching it without context could conclude that the girl is experiencing a serious emotional or psychological crisis.”
I lowered my gaze and sighed.
“It breaks my heart to see her like this,” I said, dabbing the corner of my eye with a handkerchief. “Aleli has always been fragile. After everything that happened to her family, the trauma must have been too much. I tried giving her independence because I thought she needed space to heal.”
I shook my head sadly.
“But clearly, she cannot take care of herself.”
“The school board is already discussing a temporary suspension,” Mr. Santos said. “Given the public attention and the involvement of the Ricafort family, they want to avoid further liability. If you intend to intervene, now would be the time.”
“I am not simply intervening.”
I leaned forward.
“I want an emergency petition filed to revoke her independent status and place her back under my legal guardianship.”
Mr. Santos looked at me over his glasses.
“On what grounds?”
“Mental instability.”
I didn't hesitate.
“The panic attacks, the memory problems, the emotional outbursts. Everything is documented now. She is clearly incapable of making sound decisions for herself.”
I let my voice soften.
“She needs supervision. Someone needs to control her environment before she hurts herself or gets into another situation that damages her further.”
Mr. Santos nodded slowly.
“If we present the video together with medical statements regarding her traumatic history, we may have enough to request temporary custody.”
“Temporary?”
I smiled.
“No. I want permanent custody.”
His pen stopped moving.
“I don't want her making decisions for herself again,” I said quietly. “Not while she is like this.”
My phone buzzed inside my handbag.
I pulled it out beneath the desk and read the message.
The reporters posted the full video. The school board meets in an hour. Everyone thinks she belongs in an institution. You have the green light.
I deleted it immediately.
Debbie had been useful.
The girl thought she was acting out of jealousy. She believed she was destroying Aleli because she hated seeing her become close to Kristoff.
She had no idea her little games were serving a much larger purpose.
She thought she was ruining Aleli’s reputation.
Instead, she was helping me destroy Aleli’s credibility.
Let the children play their games.
Adults knew how to collect what was left afterward.
When I left the law office, the rain had become heavier.
I walked several blocks beneath a cheap umbrella before catching a crowded jeepney back toward the neighborhood where I lived.
There was nothing impressive about my home.
My apartment was small, cramped, and tucked between rows of other aging buildings. The walls were stained from years of humidity, and the narrow hallway outside smelled of cooking oil, damp concrete, and garbage.
But none of that mattered.
I wasn't planning to keep Aleli there.
I had somewhere else in mind.
A place no one would think to look.
After changing into an old blouse and skirt, I returned outside and walked toward a narrow side street where a motorcycle was waiting for me.
The house was nearly an hour away.
It had belonged to an elderly couple years ago, but it had been abandoned after their children moved abroad. The property was overgrown now, its windows covered with grime and its walls darkened by years of rain.
Nobody lived there.
Nobody cared about it.
And, most importantly, nobody knew I still had access to it.
As I approached the house, I looked through the rusted gate.
Perfect.
Aleli needed to disappear for a while.
After everything that had happened, no one would question it if I claimed she needed rest and medical supervision.
And if anyone asked where she was, I could simply say that she had been admitted somewhere for treatment.
By labeling her unstable, I had already done most of the work.
If Aleli tried to talk about Uncle Jerry, people would question her memory.
If she mentioned deleted juvenile records, they would assume she was confused.
If she described the strange images in her head, they would call them hallucinations.
No one would believe her.
I turned away from the house and returned to my apartment.
Several hours later, I arrived at the school to collect her.
The staff had already been informed that I was her guardian.
When I found Aleli, she looked exhausted.
Her eyes were swollen, and the blanket from the guidance office was still wrapped around her shoulders.
“Come with me, dear,” I said gently.
She stared at me.
“Where are we going?”
“Home.”
The word seemed to confuse her.
“I don't want to go home.”
“You need somewhere quiet.”
I reached for her hand.
“You've been through too much today. You need to rest.”
She didn't argue.
She was too tired.
That made everything easier.
I guided her into the waiting vehicle and sat beside her as we drove through the rain.
She barely spoke.
When we finally turned onto the narrow road leading toward the abandoned property, she lifted her head.
“This isn't our neighborhood.”
“I told you,” I replied calmly. “We're going somewhere quiet.”
She looked through the window at the dark trees and overgrown road.
“Where are we?”
“You'll be safe here.”
I said it with enough warmth to make the lie sound like comfort.
The vehicle stopped outside the rusted gate.
I stepped out and unlocked it.
The old house stood ahead of us, dark and silent beneath the rain.
Aleli stared at it.
“Aunt Grace…”
“Come inside.”
She hesitated.
I took her arm gently and led her toward the front door.
The house smelled of dust, damp wood, and decay. There was barely any furniture inside, only an old table, a broken sofa, and several empty rooms.
Aleli looked around uneasily.
“Why are we here?”
I closed the door behind us.
“You need somewhere away from everyone.”
Her eyes filled with uncertainty.
“What about school?”
“You won't be going back for a while.”
“What about Kristoff?”
I smiled sadly.
“You don't need to worry about him anymore.”
Her face crumpled slightly.
I stepped closer and touched her hair.
“I spoke with our lawyer today, Aleli. The paperwork is already being prepared.”
She looked at me.
“What paperwork?”
“Your guardianship.”
Her expression changed.
“You're taking me back?”
“For good.”
I gently squeezed her shoulder.
“No more living independently. No more running around looking for answers you aren't ready to handle. No more missing files, dangerous people, or boys who can't protect you.”
Tears gathered in her eyes.
“I can take care of myself.”
“No, sweetheart.”
My voice remained soft.
“You thought you could, and look what happened.”
She lowered her gaze.
I watched the fight slowly leave her face.
That was what I wanted.
Not obedience.
Not yet.
Just surrender.
I walked toward the door and glanced back at her.
She stood alone in the middle of the abandoned room, wrapped in a blanket that suddenly looked far too thin for the cold.
“You should rest,” I told her.
Then I stepped outside.
I pulled the door shut behind me and turned the old key in the lock.
The metal clicked.
I stood there for a moment, listening to the rain.
People would think I had taken Aleli somewhere safe because I was her aunt.
They would think I was protecting a troubled girl who had lost control of her life.
They would never know the truth.
I wasn't bringing her somewhere safe.
I was taking her somewhere no one could reach her.
I slipped the key into my pocket and walked back toward the gate.
Aleli belonged to me now.