Chapter128 Anger Henry into leaving
Aliya POV
"Pull her away from me! Stop this nonsense immediately! I don't know this woman! I'm not your father!"
But even as he spoke the words, his eyes betrayed him—darting nervously between Maya's face and the crowd, as if searching for an escape route from a trap that was closing in around him.
Henry's expression also darkened considerably as he watched the scene unfold, his jaw clenching tight enough to crack teeth. His calculating gaze swept from Maya to Sarah to Simon.
Marcus leaned closer to my ear, his voice low and suspicious. "Did you arrange for her to come here? This timing is too convenient to be coincidence."
I kept my voice equally quiet, matching his conspiratorial tone. "If she didn't show up now, how else could we deal with Sarah? Sometimes the universe provides exactly what we need."
Sarah's voice suddenly rose above the commotion like a banshee's wail, sharp with fury and tinged with barely controlled hysteria. "Enough! Get this crazy beggar out of here right now! Security! Where is security when you need them?"
She whirled around frantically, her designer gown swishing dramatically as she searched for help that wasn't coming.
Maya's eyes blazed with righteous indignation as she pointed a trembling finger at Sarah. "Crazy? CRAZY? You want to talk about crazy? You stole my life, you stole my name, you stole everything from me while I rotted in that hellhole!"
Marcus moved toward Maya with surprising gentleness, his politician's instincts kicking in as he recognized an opportunity. He helped her to her feet, his voice carefully modulated to project both authority and compassion for the watching crowd.
"Do you have anything that can prove your identity?" he asked, his question carrying clearly across the now-silent ballroom.
Maya's eyes lit up with the fervor of someone who had been waiting years for this moment. She pointed an accusing finger at Sarah with the dramatic flair of a prosecutor delivering a closing argument.
"Yes! My earring! " Maya's voice cracked with emotion as she continued.
Sarah's face went white as a sheet, her hand instinctively flying to her earlobe. "That's... that's impossible! "
"LIAR!" Maya screamed, her voice echoing off the ballroom's vaulted ceiling. "You took it from me in that prison cell! You said you needed something valuable to bribe the guards! You promised you'd get me out too, but instead you left me there to die while you stole my identity!"
The crowd gasped collectively, the sound like a wave crashing against rocks. Cell phones appeared as guests began recording, sensing they were witnessing something that would make headlines across the supernatural community.
Maya's words tumbled over each other in a torrent of pent-up rage and pain. "She told the guards she was Sarah Collins! She used my family connections, my father's name, my entire life while I was left with nothing! Nothing but the rats and the darkness and the endless, endless waiting!"
Sarah's composure finally shattered completely. "You're delusional! Mentally unstable! Everyone can see you're having some kind of psychotic break! Father, tell them! Tell them this woman is insane!"
"Daddy, look at me! Really look at me! I have your eyes, don't I?"
Simon Collins's hands began to shake uncontrollably, his expensive champagne glass slipping from his nerveless fingers to shatter on the marble floor. The crystal explosion seemed to break whatever spell had held the crowd in silence.
"No," he whispered, but his voice carried in the acoustically perfect ballroom. "No, this can't be happening. Not here. Not now. Not in front of everyone."
Maya's voice broke with emotion, tears streaming down her gaunt cheeks. "Daddy! We can do a DNA test! That'll prove everything! I've been dreaming about this moment for so long! Please, just give me a chance to prove who I am!"
She turned back to the crowd, her voice rising to address them all. "This woman wearing my father's name, living in my house, sleeping in my bed! She's an imposter! A thief! A fraud!"
"Mr. Collins," Sarah said frantically, her voice high and desperate, "please, just listen to my explanation first! We can sort this out privately! There's no need to air family business in front of all these people!"
Without another word, Simon Collins turned and walked away.
Maya collapsed to her knees again, this time from relief rather than desperation, her sobs echoing through the vast space as years of pain and injustice finally found their voice.
I watched him go, then turned my attention to Henry, lowering my voice so only he could hear. "Surprised that Maya isn't dead? I wonder if she'll tell everyone about how you tried to kill her. That would make for interesting headlines, wouldn't it?"
Henry's eyes flashed with pure murderous rage, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "You're ruthless," he said through gritted teeth, his voice barely controlled. " I won't forget. And when I get my revenge, it will be absolute."
Patrick appeared at my side, his face creased with worry and confusion. "Why are you still with Marcus? After everything that's happened, why are you doing this to yourself?"
I looked at him, genuinely touched by the concern radiating from his every word and gesture. "Are you worried about me?"
Patrick's cheeks flushed slightly red, his emotional transparency endearing in a world full of calculated deception. "I just heard some bad rumors about you and him! I don't want to see you get hurt again. You deserve so much better than this."
"Don't worry," I assured him, my voice gentle but firm. "Marcus and I are just putting on a show. It's all an act to deal with Sarah and Henry. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire."
Relief washed over Patrick's features like sunrise after a long, dark night. "You don't need to worry about anything," he said earnestly, his voice filled with protective determination. "If Henry tries to get revenge on you, I'll be the first one to stand in front of you and protect you! I won't let anyone hurt you ever again!"
“If I ever need anything, I’ll come to you,” I said.
Before I could respond, I noticed Ava watching our interaction with keen interest, her eyes sparkling with amusement and something that looked suspiciously like matchmaking schemes.
She leaned closer to me, her voice filled with barely contained delight. "He's quite charming, isn't he? And I can see he's completely devoted to you. The way he looks at you... it's like you're the only person in the room."
"Ava, don't be ridiculous," I said, trying to brush off her observation, but I could feel heat rising in my cheeks.