The door closed behind Liz with a heavy, echoing thud.
But inside Maria's mind, it was only the beginning of a new storm.
She didn't let herself collapse, didn't let herself scream. Instead, she walked to her desk, opened a hidden drawer, and pulled out a black journal. One word was etched in gold on the cover: Legacy.
She opened it. A list was written there. Carefully numbered. Labeled. Highlighted in color-coded inks.
Each section bore a title:
• Past Threats
• Emotional Weak Spots
• Protective Protocols
• Contingency Plans
Maria turned to the last tab: Current Threat – Liz Runbert.
She picked up a pen and wrote:
"Attempted manipulation through guilt.
Targeted child emotionally.
Possibly seeking emotional reintegration or psychological destabilization.
Unpredictable. Prepare for escalation."
Meanwhile...
Liz sat in the back of her black SVU car, staring at nothing.
She didn't hear her assistant asking if she wanted to return to the hotel.
She didn't blink as the city lights danced past.
She had thought she could control the narrative.
That if she appeared broken, Maria would soften. Maybe even take her back.
But that wasn't Maria anymore. That was a phoenix. Sharper. Colder.
"Drive," she muttered finally.
"To where, ma'am?" the driver asked.
Liz clenched her jaw.
"Anywhere she's not."
But in her heart, she wasn't retreating.
She was regrouping.
Back at Maria's mansion, her daughter, Lila, sat beside Sara as they watched a cartoon on the couch.
Maria came in and sat beside her child. She looked at Lila with soft eyes.
"Baby," she said gently, "do you remember what I told you about strangers who try to act familiar?"
Lila nodded. "Don't tell them things about our life unless you say it's okay."
Maria smiled sadly. "Good girl."
Then her smile faded. She pulled Sara aside.
"She's going to try something else. Maybe through business or the press. I need surveillance increased. Secure Lila's school. I want cameras in the hallways, and I want you to dig into any known affiliations she still has."
Sara nodded instantly. "Already on it. Also, we've prepped three backup residences."
Maria exhaled. "Make sure Lila doesn't notice the tension. I want her life untouched."
Sara hesitated. "And if Liz comes for her emotionally again?"
Maria's eyes darkened.
"Then I'll come for her soul."
That night, in her hotel suite, Liz stood staring out of the window, holding her phone.
She watched videos – interviews of Maria with international fashion outlets like herself. Maria laughing. Smiling like nothing ever broke her
But Liz knew.
She knew.
She threw the phone across the room, shattering the screen.
But the image of Maria's smile stayed in her head.
Mocking her.
Haunting her.
And somehow... calling her back.