Episode 2: The puppet master
1592 Words
Three Months Ago – Craig’s Last Moments
Craig had always lived fast—thrill-seeking, risk-taking, never one to shy away from adventure. But on that fateful night, the odds caught up with him.
The crash came out of nowhere. One minute, he was speeding down the dimly lit highway, music blasting through the speakers—the next, his world flipped upside down. The screeching of tires, the deafening collision, the sharp pain ripping through his chest. When they rushed him to the hospital, time was already slipping away.
Inside the Emergency Room
Grace Hopkins barely glanced up as the stretcher was wheeled in. She had seen injuries like this before—another reckless soul paying the price for his choices.
"Severe internal bleeding," one of the paramedics murmured, urgency in his voice. "He needs immediate assistance."
Grace sighed, flipping through paperwork as if time wasn’t of the essence.
"Registration first," she said flatly. "You’ll have to pay before we begin treatment."
The paramedics exchanged horrified looks. Craig, barely conscious, groaned in pain, blood pooling beneath him.
"He’ll die if we wait—just get him to surgery!"
She shrugged. "Hospital policy. No payment, no treatment."
Minutes passed. Precious minutes.
Craig gasped, trying to hold on. His grip weakened, vision blurred. The paramedics argued, demanded help, pleaded. But bureaucracy was stronger than their desperation.
Finally, when payment was arranged—too late—Grace moved. But by then, the color had drained from Craig’s face, his pulse was faint, and life had already begun slipping away.
The doctors pronounced him dead moments later.
The Fallout
When Nicholas arrived, the air was thick with grief, the hallways too quiet, the world too sharp. He barely heard the doctor’s words—"Due to complications… internal bleeding… negligence delayed intervention…"
It didn’t matter. Craig was gone.
And Nicholas was left with only one thought: Someone will pay for this.
Hidden truth
Nicholas waited, his patience wearing thin as his lawyer, John, stepped into his office. The tension in the room was suffocating, thick with grief and unresolved anger.
“Well?” Nicholas demanded, not bothering with pleasantries.
John sighed, shaking his head. “The hospital refused to release the name of the nurse.”
Nicholas stiffened. “Refused?”
John nodded. “Privacy policies, legal barriers—it’s a mess. They won’t cooperate without court orders, and even then, they’ll fight it.”
Nicholas clenched his jaw. He had power, influence. He could make things happen. But John made it sound impossible.
“We have witness statements,” John continued, smoothly shifting the conversation. “People saw a woman neglecting your brother. We just need to track her down through other means. It’ll take time, but we’ll get justice.”
Nicholas exhaled sharply, frustration burning in his veins. He hated delays. He hated obstacles. But he trusted John.
“Do it,” he ordered.
John nodded, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his expression before he turned and walked away.
The truth—that he had found the name long ago and buried it—remained his secret.
Two months before the arrest – The Perfect Scapegoat
John wasn’t looking for Liana Kate—he stumbled upon her.
It was a coincidence. A fleeting moment. A stroke of luck.
He had just left Ravenshade General Hospital, tying up loose ends, ensuring Grace’s name remained buried under red tape. But as he stepped onto the bustling street, his gaze landed on a woman near the entrance of Harbridge University.
For a moment, his breath hitched.
It was Grace.
Or at least, that’s what his mind told him.
Then the illusion shattered—she was younger, softer. Her features were striking, sharper than Grace’s, yet eerily familiar. Beautiful in a way that demanded attention.
He didn’t need long to learn her name.
Liana Kate.
A student at Harbridge University, studying accounting, occasionally shadowing work at Ravenshade Hospital as part of her coursework. Young, inexperienced the perfect scapegoat.
John saw opportunity. And he took it.
The Stalking & The Setup
From that day forward, John made Liana his project.
He followed her movements—where she studied, where she worked, who she spoke to. He collected everything—her class schedule, the places she frequented, the friends she barely noticed watching her.
Then, he made his move.
Using his connections within Ravenshade Hospital, he got Liana’s fingerprints on critical items. Altered paperwork. Shift records. Reports tied to Craig’s death.
It didn’t matter that she had never touched those documents. The evidence would say otherwise.
Grace was safe.
John was protected.
And Liana Kate was about to lose everything.
One Month Before – Lovers & Lies
The room was drenched in twilight—shadows pooling in the corners, tangled between silk sheets and whispered secrets. Grace lay against the headboard, legs stretched across the mattress, a cigarette burning between her fingers.
John stood near the dresser, buttoning his shirt with practiced ease, as if this was just another night. As if the moment wasn’t slipping through their fingers like sand.
“I need her gone,” Grace murmured, exhaling a slow trail of smoke.
John smirked, adjusting his cufflinks. “Gone or ruined?”
Grace turned her head, watching him with something unreadable in her eyes. “There’s difference?”
John chuckled, crossing the room until he was close enough that the heat of his presence pressed against her skin. He plucked the cigarette from her lips, taking his own slow drag before crushing it into the ashtray.
“You always liked the easy way out,” he mused.
Grace sat up, tilting her chin. “I like survival.”
Silence stretched between them. It was always like this—no declarations, no promises. Just a game of power, a careful dance between necessity and desire.
John leaned in, brushing his lips against her ear.Then Liana Kate takes the fall.
Grace swallowed. The girl had done nothing wrong. She was young, inexperienced—studying accounting at Harbridge University, shadowing medical staff at Ravenshade General Hospital to fulfill her coursework. A nobody.
But she had ,one flaw, she looked like Grace.More beautiful, sharper features, the kind of face John had stared at for too long before realizing she was the perfect substitute.
They had already planted evidence. Her fingerprints on Craig’s medical file, doctored reports tying her presence to the night of his death.
Now, all they had to do was watch her life crumble.
Grace exhaled, trailing her fingers along John’s collar. “Are you sure Nicholas will believe it?”
John smiled—a slow, wicked thing.
“He’ll believe whatever I tell him.”
Grace’s pulse thrummed.
Liana Kate was about to lose everything.
And she would walk away untouched.
One Month Before – The Setup for Liana’s Downfall
Nicholas sat in his office, fingers pressed together, his gaze locked onto John with an intensity that made the air in the room feel heavier.
“This girl—Liana Kate,” Nicholas murmured, tapping his fingers against the polished surface of his desk. “She was negligent, fine. That would get her a few years at most.”
John remained silent, watching, waiting.
Nicholas leaned forward, voice low, deliberate. “That’s not enough. My brother lost his life. I want her to rot in prison.”
A slow smirk tugged at the corners of John’s lips. Exactly what he wanted to hear.
He shifted his stance, smoothing the sleeves of his tailored suit. “I anticipated that,” he said casually, his tone dripping with calculation.
Nicholas narrowed his eyes. “Explain.”
John inhaled deeply, feigning hesitation—a carefully orchestrated act. Then, he stepped closer.
“There’s been… an unfortunate situation, recently,” he said smoothly. “Missing children.”
Nicholas stiffened. “Kidnappings?”
John gave a slow nod. “High-profile. The authorities are desperate to find the culprit.” He let the words sink in, then—the hook.
“If Liana is connected to those disappearances, she won’t be facing a few years. She’ll be locked away for life”
Nicholas exhaled sharply, gripping the edge of his desk. The idea appealed to him.
John continued, voice low, persuasive. “I have sources—people who can make things fit. A few planted witnesses, fabricated leads, a staged ‘discovery.’ It would be airtight. The authorities will believe it.”
Nicholas didn’t speak for a moment. The weight of vengeance, the promise of permanent punishment, settled deep into his bones.
Finally, he nodded. “Do it.”
John smiled, the flicker of something far more sinister passing through his eyes.
What Nicholas didn’t know—what he would never suspect—was that John’s interest in the kidnappings wasn’t just about framing Liana.
It was business.
He had been running child trafficking operations, working with underground syndicates, making deals with Mafia connections, far beyond Nicholas’s understanding.
This wasn’t just about covering their tracks.
It was about profit.
The Next Step – John’s Real Motives
Later that night, John made the call.
“Are they ready?” he asked, standing in the shadows of his private office.
A low voice crackled over the phone. “We have them. Shipment is secured.”
John exhaled, satisfaction settling in his chest.
“Perfect,” he murmured. “Now, let’s make sure Liana Kate takes the fall.”
As he hung up, his expression remained cool, calculated. Nicholas thought he was controlling this game.
But John was the real puppet master—and no one was safe.
- Writer
