The sky was dull and heavy the morning Steven was buried, as if the clouds themselves were in mourning. The cemetery was quiet except for the low sound of sniffles and the shuffling of feet on gravel. A black casket lay before the open ground, surrounded by white flowers that looked far too clean for such a day.Cherry stood closest to the grave. Her eyes were swollen and red, her face pale from days of crying and sleepless nights. She clutched a handkerchief so tightly her knuckles were white. Every breath felt like it tore through her chest.A few steps away, partially hidden behind a tall tree, Sainz Hale watched. She knew Cherry would do something like this. So, she had come early and stayed back, pulling a dark scarf over her head, keeping her face turned away. She didn’t want Cherry to see her. Not today and not like this. She didn't want Cherry to create a scene if she saw her. Today was Steven's day and they would honour it till the end.Steven had been many things, but to Sai

The office was quiet except for the soft tap of Kendrick’s finger against the glass table.Names glowed on the tablet in front of him. Four of them were circled in red.Adrian leaned over his shoulder. “Every one of them voted to shield Bernard. Twice.”Lizzy scrolled through her own screen. “And signed off on emergency powers he shouldn’t have had. They’ll claim ignorance.”Kendrick exhaled slowly. “Pretending not to know something, or claiming ignorance, doesn’t erase responsibility. They could have done something, but they didn't. Acting like they didn't know won't undo the harm nor can it change the crime. They'll have to be accountable for what happened, whether they acknowledge it or not.A knock came at the door.“Come in,” Kendrick said without looking up.Sainz stepped inside, dressed sharply, calm as ever. Her eyes moved once around the room, taking in the tension, the names, the silence.“You called,” she said.Kendrick gestured to the chair across from him. “Sit.”She did,

Kendrick sat in his office long after everyone else had gone home. The lights of the city blinked outside the tall windows, but he wasn’t looking at them. His desk was clean now. There were no crisis files, no emergency calls, no court papers. Bernard’s damage had finally been taken care of and the company was stable again.Still, his chest felt heavy.Adrian noticed it days later and has been looking for a way to know what was going on in his mind and he finally got the opportunity to know what was going through his head.They were standing by the balcony that overlooked the lower floors when Adrian broke the silence.“What are you thinking about?” he asked gently. “I've noticed you've been lost in your thoughts lately.Kendrick didn’t answer at once. He rested his hands on the railing, his eyes distant.“I keep seeing their faces,” he said finally. “The workers who died in the explosion, the sorrowful expressions in their families eyes, it's very hard to forget. Bernard may be in

“Hale, come over here. Come see this.”The voice cut through the low hum of the yard. Bernard Hale lay stretched across a bench, eyes half-closed, his legs propped up while two inmates worked his calves with practiced hands. Around him, men hovered, standing, watching, waiting like flies for his command. Some of them just didn't want to be on his bad side .Bernard didn’t move at first.“What is it, Poison?” he said lazily. “It better be serious. You know I don’t like my peace being disturbed.”“It is serious,” Poison insisted. “You need to see this for yourself. Don't blame me if you find out later.”Bernard sighed and sat up. The massaging stopped immediately. He stood, rolling his shoulders, and the men around him stepped back without being told. Some lowered their heads, others shifted away, fear written plainly across their faces.“It better be worth it,” Bernard muttered as he walked. “Because if it isn’t, I swear I’ll make you regret calling my name.”They parted for him as he

Ain’t nobody ever talked to Mighty like that,” Shanty said. “Ever. Man ran half the yard. So we all thought Bernard was done. Dead man walkin’.”He smiled wide. “Soon as that thought hit, we switched the bets. Mighty versus Bernard.”Laughter bubbled up.“Everybody put they money on Mighty,” Shanty went on. “Everybody… except me.”“Why did you do that?” someone asked.Before Shanty could answer, an older inmate spoke up. “’Cause that fool got a nose for potential. At least, that's what he says.”Shanty snapped his fingers again. “That part. I see things before they happen.” He leaned closer, voice dropping. “So Mighty slap Bernard. Hard. Talkin’ all types of trash. Tellin’ him, ‘This why you failed at life. You a loser. Always been one.’”Shanty exhaled slowly. “And that’s when somethin’ snapped.”He mimed grabbing something.“Berny boy reached down, grabbed a toothbrush, snapped it clean in half… and drove it straight into Mighty throat.”The courtyard went silent.“Blood everywhere,