Chapter Thirty-Eight

"We looked at the circumstances Miss Stepney and we take into account it was under twenty-four hours and we also take into your account that you're the mother of Erica and the court order has not been put into law. We also take into account you were in a relationship with Amba's father David Metcalfe but you have broken your conditions and therefore will be readmitted for another few months"

This is what the officer in the interview was telling Maya and her mother.

"A few months?" Henrietta asked; wanting him to elaborate.

"About three...depending on the judge"

Now that was a rather lenient sentence considering. Having friends in high places worked for Henrietta. Checking the tape recorder for the interview was off, Henrietta leaned in slightly and asked...

"Can we just have a warning?"

"A warning?"

"A warning worth three thousand pounds, each for every month. Because I can assure you my daughter won't be doing anything like this again"

This was called a bribe of cause. She's never stopped this low but she truly believed once Maya was with Ethan, nothing would happen again. The officers just looked between each other. A few ticks in the right places and they could be 3000 pounds richer, so they just gave a nod. She lucked out on getting two corrupt officers open to bribery.

"I think we can let her off with a warning. Though if we see her again, it's game over" one of the officers warned.

"Yes I'm sure...I will give you my number and we can exchange bank details" Henrietta replied swiftly.

"Alright, I will put this on her record but nothing else. If we catch her in here again, you won't be as lucky"

"Understood"

The truth was they were rather close to giving her a warning anyway, due to the time limit and circumstances. She took her own daughter and her ex-boyfriend's daughter out for a long day out, court order involving said daughter was not yet granted and it was barely a full day and night. In other words, it was easy to dismiss for two officers like this whose moral compass was slightly skewed.

"You may go...I hope we don't see each other again" the officer finally remarked. Dismissing them.

...

"She's been let go with a warning! Are they insane?!" David spat. He was just told by the police about an hour after the fact.

He was actually hanging out with Jai currently, the Christmas festivities currently on hold. Jai was equally as disgusted. Of cause if they knew about the bribe, it would make sense but they didn't. They just deemed it as shoddy police work (and perhaps that wasn't wrong) but it wasn't the main factor. The two men seemed to be suddenly friends after this event, both hating Maya's parents (almost as much as Maya herself but not quite).

"That's disgusting...Just a warning?! Is that all the girls well-being is worth? We have a good mind to go down there and demand them to rethink it" Jai spoke.

"She's a danger! How can they do this to us?"

Jacob was listening in to this chat as Jai was over at David's. Just helping him out with the locks and whatnot. He was taking no chances and besides, Priya was a bit too scared to leave Amba right now so he decided to help David out today. After a few moments, the lad came down the stairs. Making them look up instantly...

"Jakey...I didn't know you were up there, me and Jai are just sorting out the locks" David nervously explained.

"Whatever, I'm going back to granddad's...I just came to get some things from my room. And for the record, she isn't a danger" Jacob insisted.

His constant defence of her was driving everyone up the wall. Jai just looked at him in disbelief. Was the lad that brainwashed? Obviously yes. Maya had some sort of bad spell over him it seemed. No, the lad just claimed she did it because she wanted to spend time with her child and that David was the rotten one for banning her. That's what he thought and everyone knew it.

"Oh, you just go to her then! If you love her more then your sisters, you go to her!" David snapped.

"David" Jai tried to say (for that wasn't the right thing to say).

He didn't mean it and only said it because he thought Jacob would never do that. So there was no risk in saying it surely.

"Okay" Jacob simply replied.

"What?" David asked in shock.

"I will go to her and not because I love her more then my sisters...Well one sister, I'm never going to consider Erica a sister but because I love her more then you"

He didn't mean it and deep down, David knew that but it still broke his heart to hear it. With a slight pause, Jacob left the house. Leaving David reeling, Jai looking rather sad for him. That wasn't something any father wanted to hear.

"He didn't mean it" Jai tried to tell him.

"Look at what that woman has done to us, it's killing me"

...

The real reason Jacob went back was for his passport, he was still planning on taking Maya with him to Portugal. Alicia was already expecting him and his slightly older girlfriend (though she thought she was a twenty-one girl called Maria). He has stopped calling her number and has instead resorted to playing the waiting game. He knew where her mother lived and where Ethan lived (she could be going to either one as far as he was concerned). His mother Alicia has been been pestering him a lot lately, saying she really wants to speak to "Maria" soon before she sees her in person. Jacob kept making excuses about why she couldn't and his story was getting far less believable. Besides, he hasn't yet told Maya of his plan. He expected both women to just buy into his story, he was going to tell Maya that Alicia knew everything already. And he was telling Alicia some false tale. It would surely end in tears.

...

TBC