Ronald drove through the city, the unfamiliar streets a blur outside his window. Bucky’s new penthouse wasn’t in any of the usual spots. No hidden warehouses, no discreet brownstones in old money neighborhoods. This was a gleaming tower of glass and steel, right in the heart of the newest, fanciest district. It felt… wrong. Too exposed for someone like Bucky. But then, Bucky had always liked to surprise people. And with Sarai, maybe he was trying for a normal life. Whatever "normal" meant for them.His hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white. The burner phone was still in his pocket, the memory of that text message burning a hole through his thoughts. *Lilly is asking for you. Mexico call tonight.* And Bobby’s face, that carefully blank expression, the way his eyes slid away. The lie. It was a lie. And Ronald had to know why.He pulled into the underground parking garage, the silence of the concrete cavern pressing in on him. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the frantic

Ronald stared at the grainy photograph, the diner's fluorescent lights casting a harsh glow on the image. His blood ran cold, not from the chill of the air conditioning, but from the dawning horror in his gut. The little girl, a miniature Bobby Becker. And the woman, Maria. The name echoed in his mind, a ghost from a past he hadn't even known existed until now."Maria," he whispered again, his voice hoarse. He looked up at Bucky, whose face remained impassive. "You said Maria Rodriguez is a common name. But this… this woman. I need to know. Is she… is she *that* Maria?"Bucky took a slow sip of his lukewarm coffee. "What 'that' Maria are we talking about, Ronald?"Ronald leaned closer, lowering his voice even further. "Tommy Becker. Years ago. There was a woman. He was obsessed. Talked about her constantly. Then she just… vanished. Everyone thought she ran off. Tommy was never the same after."Bucky's eyebrows rose slightly. "Tommy Becker? The twin? You think this is his long-lost fla

Ronald's hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white. The images Bucky had sent burned in his mind: Bobby, laughing with Maria, holding Lilly's hand. The ultimate betrayal. It wasn't just a secret family; it was Tommy's family, stolen and repurposed. He had spent the last few hours stewing, the rage building inside him like a pressure cooker. He needed to confront Bobby, and he needed to do it away from prying eyes, away from anyone who could interfere.He'd tracked Bobby's movements, knowing his routine. Bobby often used a private garage on the outskirts of the city, a place where he kept some of his more… discreet vehicles. It was late afternoon, the perfect time. Most of Bobby's crew would be elsewhere, handling their own dirty work.Ronald parked his beat-up sedan a block away and walked the rest of the way, his steps purposeful. The garage was a nondescript brick building, its metal door usually kept shut. Today, it was slightly ajar, a sliver of light escaping from within.

The words hung in the stale garage air, heavy and poisonous. "So, what's it going to be, Ronald? You going to be a hero? Or are you going to be smart?"Ronald stared at Bobby, his mind reeling. The threat wasn't just against him. It was against Maria. Against Lilly. His own daughter. The thought of Bobby, this monster, making them "disappear" again, this time for good, sent a primal scream through Ronald's veins. His vision narrowed, the world shrinking to just Bobby's sneering face."You touch them," Ronald growled, the sound ripped from deep within his chest. "You even *think* about touching them…""Or what, Lucky?" Bobby scoffed, taking a step back, his hands casually dropping to his sides. "You're going to stop me? You couldn't even keep your own girlfriend safe. What makes you think you can protect anyone else?"That was it. The last straw. The casual mention of Sarah, the cold reminder of his failure, combined with the fresh threat against Maria and Lilly, snapped something insi

"He… he threatened them," Ronald choked out, his voice cracking. "Maria. Lilly. He said he’d make them disappear. Again. For good."Max knelt beside him again, putting a hand on Ronald’s shoulder. "He said what? Ronald, I don't understand. Why would he do that?""He told me everything," Ronald sobbed, burying his face in his hands. "He took Maria. He paid her family. He moved her to Mexico. He raised Lilly. He kept them from Tommy. All because… because he was jealous. Because he wanted to hurt Tommy. He wanted to take everything Tommy loved."Max listened, his face a mask of shock. "Jealousy? He did all this… because of jealousy?"Ronald nodded, his body wracked with sobs. "He gloated about it. He said he took Sarah from me too. He said accidents happen. He was going to do it again. To Maria. To Lilly.""So you… you snapped?" Max asked, his voice filled with a mix of understanding and horror."I didn't mean to," Ronald repeated, his voice barely a whisper. "I just… I just wanted him t