–Livana–
"Tep-Mama!"
The voices of Andro and Sky carried through the door—bright, unguarded. Andro calls me that too. How easily children assign trust… how effortlessly they offer it.
"How did you even manage that?" Tyrona snarled.
I laughed softly, shaking my head as if the answer were beneath explanation.
"Andro is simple, darling."
She remained tense—coiled, ready. I could feel it in the air between us, tight as a drawn wire. She could fight me, yes…
But she wouldn't last.
She would die.
A quiet giggle slipped from my lips as I slid the gun back beneath her desk, then tucked the bullets neatly into the drawer. Control restored. Illusion maintained.
I moved toward the door and opened it.
"Mama!"
Andro rushed into me, wrapping his small arms around my waist. I caressed his hair, slow and gentle, while giving Tyrona a passing smirk—a blade disguised as warmth.
"Hello, baby."
