Chapter 8 - The Confrontation
Maya worked the room flawlessly, shaking hands with senators, tech moguls, and real estate tycoons. Julian stayed by her side, a silent, powerful guardian.
Eventually, the crowd parted, leaving Maya standing face-to-face with Richard, Vanessa, and Olivia.
Olivia looked like she was going to faint. Vanessa was staring at Maya’s diamonds with a sickening mixture of greed and terror.
"Maya," Richard choked out, his voice high-pitched and frantic. "Maya, honey... I... we didn't know."
Maya took a slow sip of her champagne. "You didn't know what, Richard? That I had money? Would you have treated me like a human being if you knew my bank account had ten zeroes in it?"
"It was a mistake!" Richard pleaded, reaching a hand out. Julian immediately stepped forward, his eyes flashing with a violent promise, but Maya put a hand on Julian’s chest to stop him. She could fight her own battles now.
"Don't touch me," Maya commanded. Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut through Richard like a knife.
"Maya, please," Olivia whimpered, suddenly dropping her arrogant facade. "He’s your husband. We're family. You wouldn't throw family out on the street."
"You stood in your backyard and smiled while your son shoved my face into my daughter's birthday cake," Maya said, her voice dropping to a lethal whisper. "You cheered for my humiliation. You," she turned her gaze to Vanessa, who shrank back, "posted it online to mock me."
"I took it down!" Vanessa cried.
"The internet is forever, Vanessa. And so is my memory," Maya replied. "Richard, you came here looking for an investor to save your company. But as Julian just announced, Hawthorne Enterprises is partnered with Sterling Equity. Every single application for funding comes across my desk."
Richard fell to his knees in the middle of the ballroom. People were staring, but Maya didn't care. Let them stare.
"Please, Maya. I have nothing left. The banks are taking the house on Monday."
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"Then you better start packing," Maya said coldly. "You thought I wouldn't last a week without you. Let’s see how long you last without me."
She turned her back on him and walked away, leaving Richard weeping on the floor while security finally moved in to escort the uninvited, bankrupt trio out of the building.
