Falling for My Ex’s Mafia Dad — Episode 74
Kent never touched the poisoned meal because an independent nurse collected samples under the court order Fay had demanded. The safeguard designed after *Custodial Silence* saved him again.
The detention supervisor disappeared before investigators reached his office. His access logs showed repeated contact with Lorenzo’s attorney and an encrypted account linked to Ivan’s former task force.
Ivan surrendered his authorization token for forensic review. The device contained a cloned certificate installed six months earlier, meaning Grant could sign orders as Ivan without stealing access each time.
The discovery cleared Ivan of the meal authorization but exposed how long his identity had enabled crimes. He offered to enter protective detention until the remaining credentials were revoked.
Fay accepted the necessity without comforting him. Ivan’s sacrifice helped, but it did not make them friends again. Boundaries survived gratitude.
Prosecutors moved Kent to a hospital unit under state supervision. Mara renewed the bail request, arguing the government could no longer guarantee his safety in custody.
The prosecution countered that release would endanger witnesses. Lorenzo submitted an affidavit claiming Kent had threatened him through Fay. The cradle note was perversely presented as her response to intimidation.
Fay testified. She disclosed the pregnancy in a sealed hearing, explained Lorenzo’s threat, and authenticated Sofia’s guardianship documents. Her father’s claim of protection collapsed under the history of coercion.
The judge ordered Lorenzo to remain away from Fay and Victoria. However, Kent’s genuine ledger crimes still supported detention. Safety failures did not automatically entitle a dangerous defendant to freedom.
The ruling hurt because it was legally coherent. Fay wanted Kent home but refused to pretend public risk vanished when corruption touched the case.
Mara proposed conditional release with electronic monitoring, asset restrictions, and no contact with captains. Kent agreed to every condition before prosecutors finished reading them.
The court scheduled a final bail hearing in forty-eight hours. If approved, Kent could live at Fay’s apartment or another registered residence. Fay chose her apartment, then worried the decision exposed the baby.
Victoria offered the secure house authorities arranged for her. Kent refused to displace a traumatized witness. Daniel suggested his new home with Colin, but public scrutiny would invade their safety.
Fay realized every option required tradeoffs. She selected a neutral residence owned by the clinic trust, with security accountable to Mara and the court. Kent would enter her independent structure rather than return her to his.
The arrangement pleased him more than the possibility of luxury. He told Daniel that accepting another person’s rules might be the most useful education prison had given him.
Daniel joked that the lesson was overdue. Their laughter during the hospital call sounded fragile but real.
Forensic technicians traced the cloned Ivan certificate to a server inside Lorenzo’s port authority office. State police requested a search warrant.
The office had been emptied hours earlier. Shredded documents filled bins, and the credential device was gone. One surviving calendar showed a meeting scheduled for the morning of Kent’s bail hearing.
The entry read *Succession Transfer—Final Consent*. Location: the Victoria Alden Center’s unfinished maternity wing.
Fay understood Lorenzo intended to use her clinic, her pregnancy, and her mother’s name as the stage for whatever came next.