Novels by Esther Ernest

A day after the Jordans' bombshell press conference where Victoria had tearfully condemned the abduction of Maya and announced their intent to seek emergency custody, which Bradley had successfully countered.In the Upper East Side penthouse, Evelyn Stevens had spent the previous evening pacing the living room with her phone glued to her hand as she scrolled through endless news alerts. The media frenzy was relentlessly looking to spread the news from both angles because even though Bradley had reacted, it was impossible to ignore Victoria's speech because it had been a masterpiece, which framed Bradley as an unstable father while painting the Jordans as concerned guardians. But Evelyn saw through it all that this was a calculated strike, using Maya as a weapon to derail Bradley's senate run in District 30. And worse of it was that it reeked of Victoria and Leo's handiwork showing the kind of bold, reckless move they favored.Lucas had been in meetings all day, so Evelyn had a quiet s

The Jordans' press conference unfolded in the grand lobby of their Manhattan corporate headquarters. It was a sleek space of marble floors and crystal chandeliers that screamed old money and unassailable power. Victoria Jordan stood at the podium. She was flanked by Leo on one side and a team of high-priced lawyers on the other. The room was packed with reporters whose cameras were flashing like lightning in a storm and the air buzzed with the kind of anticipation that followed a scandal. It was 10:15 a.m., just hours after their anonymous leaks had hit the wires and the narrative was already busting across every major outlet in the city.Victoria adjusted the microphone, her silver hair was pinned perfectly like always and her expression was a masterclass in feigned concern and righteous indignation. "Good morning," she began with a steady voice. "As many of you know, my granddaughter Maya Turner has been the subject of heartbreaking speculation since her removal from our family home

Leo Jordan paced in front of the hearth like a caged panther with the soles of his Italian loafers whispering against the wool every time he turned. Victoria Jordan sat behind the massive claw-footed oak desk. Her silver hair was pulled into a severe chignon. She held a cut-crystal tumbler that contained an amber liquid which was untouched for the last twenty minutes. Her other hand rested flat on the blotter, fingers splayed, as though she were trying to physically hold the situation in place.Victor Kane stood off to the side with arms folded across the charcoal cashmere of his overcoat. He hadn’t taken it off since arriving two hours earlier. The blue glow from the tablet in his hand carved harsh lines under his cheekbones as he scrolled through encrypted feeds of a drone which was overhead of the Bronx factory lot, body-cam snippets from the guard who managed to survive and traffic-cam stills of Bradley’s black SUV disappearing onto the Bruckner Expressway with a small silhouette

After the call, Bradley’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel as he recalled how he watched them flicker and vanish behind a lumbering delivery truck. He had been forty-seven seconds behind. The Hunts Point warehouse had been empty except for the smell of motor oil, stale cigarettes and the ghost of Maya’s strawberry shampoo lingering on a discarded pink scrunchie he found near the loading dock.He slammed his palm against the dash. The SUV lurched as he jerked the wheel, cutting across two lanes to chase the fading speck. As horns blared due to the traffic, Someone yelled something obscene out a window but Bradley didn’t hear it. All he heard was the echo of his own voice from months ago when he was trying to save Nick. So the system chimed, refusing to let memory consume him completely.[Vehicle Tracked: Partial plate match.][They are heading South on I-95 toward Bruckner Interchange][Probability Distribution include: Jordan family estate, Edgewater Industrial Park][Pursuit

Bradley Turner pulled his SUV up to the curb outside P.S. 122 in Astoria by 2:50. The first day of the new school year had him on edge more than usual, especially after the system's morning alert about increased Jordan surveillance on the school which had lingered in his mind, but no anomalies had popped up during the day. He had texted Maya at lunch via her kid-safe watch saying, “How is the first day, princess?” And she replied promptly, “Great! Lila and I started a unicorn club! See you soon!” She even added a heart emoji. He smiled faintly as he parked, then he stepped out of the SUV and joined the cluster of parents at the gate.The bell's echo had already faded but some kids still streamed out with their backpacks bouncing as shouts of excitement filled the air. Bradley scanned the crowd for Maya's purple unicorn T-shirt and pigtails.Minutes passed by from 2:50 to 3:10 and the crowd grew thin making Bradley's unease grow to more and more. He pulled out his phone and called M

With the summer break coming to an end, so was the first day of the new school year approaching, and when it finally arrived on the kind of September morning that carried the promise of fresh starts and falling leaves. Bradley Turner woke at 6:30 a.m. with the system interface already glowing softly in his vision with a gentle reminder.[Daily Intel Drop: Jordan surveillance on P.S. 122 has increased, a low-level watcher has been spotted.][Danger Sense is ready if activated.]He dismissed it to focus on the day ahead. Summer break had ended and Maya was returning to school, the same P.S. 122 in Astoria which was now her familiar haven of friends, art class and normalcy. She was ten now, starting fifth grade and the excitement had been building all week.Bradley headed to the kitchen to start making breakfast of pancakes with blueberry smiles. It was Maya's favorite for special days. The granite island was scattered with her school supplies of new backpack with unicorn patches, sharpe