Chapter 13 The Investigation
Social media explodes overnight.
Zephyra wakes to hundreds of notifications. Her phone won't stop humming.
#ZephKai is trending worldwide
She scrolls through with growing dread.
Compilation films dissect their every interaction. Frame by frame evaluation.Body language experts weighing in.
"Observe how she pulls away right here?"
"His smile does not reach his eyes on this clip."
"Fake. I'm calling it. overall PR stunt."
"They're in love. Y'all are just jealous."
The feedback struggle rages. Millions of people are debating whether or not their dating is real.
Her chest tightens. Strangers picking apart her life. Her feelings. Her truth.
She finds Kairo inside the kitchen. He's already on his PC. Dark circles beneath his eyes.
"You noticed?" she asks.
"Difficult to overlook."
They sit in heavy silence. The load of the arena's judgment pressing down.
Percy arrives at nine. His face is grim.
"We have trouble."
"Any other one?" Zephyra's voice is flat.
Percy sets his briefcase at the counter. Pulls out a pill.
"Maya bribed constructing safety. She has lobby digicam footage."
He plays the video.
It suggests them in the lobby. Early days. Arguing. Cold body language. Entering separate elevators.
Any other clip. one of a kind day. Zephyra storms beyond Kairo. Not looking at him.
Some others. Kairo leaving. Zephyra arrived an hour later.
"She has weeks of this," Percy says quietly. "You are arguing. cold moments. getting into separate bedrooms."
Zephyra's belly drops. "How awful !"
"Enough to tell a tale."
Kairo's jaw clenches. "Without audio, it proves nothing."
"The court of public opinion would not need proof." Percy's voice is sharp. "They want a narrative. And Maya's constructing one."
"So what will we do?" Zephyra asks.
"I wish she's bluffing. Or negotiate."
"We do not negotiate with terrorists," Kairo snaps.
"She's no longer a terrorist. She's a scorned ex with a vendetta." Percy closes his tablet. "and she or he's winning."
Zephyra paces the residing room. Her frustration boils over.
"Why does she care this a whole lot?" She spins to face Kairo. "we've been married for weeks. You broke up along with her months in the past. Why can't she allow this pass?"
Kairo is quiet. Too quiet.
"Tell me," she demands.
He exhales slowly. Rubs his face.
"Maya changed into engaged earlier than me. To a person she cherished."
Zephyra stops pacing. "What occurred?"
"He left her. At the altar. For someone else."
The words hit like a punch.
"In front of three hundred guests. Her circle of relatives. the clicking." Kairo's expression softens. "It destroyed her."
Understanding replaces anger in Zephyra's chest.
"She sees you as the girl who stole me," Kairo continues. "She's projecting her pain onto us."
"But I didn't scouse, borrow you. This wasn't even real at first."
"She would not see it that way. To her, you're the lady who took what needed to be hers."
Zephyra sinks onto the couch. "it's... Sad."
"It's miles. however it would not excuse what she's doing."
"No. It doesn't."
They sit down with that reality. The weight of Maya's pain mixing with their very own.
Percy's phone rings. He steps away to reply.
When he returns, his face is pale.
"That turned into our legal group. They reviewed the footage."
"And?" Kairo's voice is tight.
"It is technically a felony. The cameras are building assets. commonplace regions. She did not hack something."
"So we can not stop her," Zephyra says flatly.
"No. We cannot."
The room feels smaller. Suffocating.
"There must be something," Kairo insists.
"There isn't. except you want to sue for harassment. Which might simplest make this larger."
Zephyra laughs bitterly. "So we're powerless."
"Not powerless. simply... restrained in options."
An hour later, a courier arrives.
Formal letter. high-priced paper. Maya's lawyer's letterhead.
Percy reads it aloud.
"Miss Delrose requests a private meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Draven. You have forty-eight hours to respond. Failure to comply will result in all evidence being released to major media outlets."
Silence crushes the room.
"Evidence," Zephyra repeats. "Like we are on trial."
"You're," Percy says quietly. "in the courtroom of public opinion."
Kairo crumples the letter in his fist. "I will move alone."
"No." Zephyra stands. Takes his hand. "we face her collectively."
"She'll smash you."
"She'll attempt. however i am no longer scared of her."
"You should be."
"Maybe. however i'm extra frightened of letting her win." Zephyra's grip tightens. "We started out this together. We are facing it together."
something shifts in Kairo's eyes. recognize. maybe more.
"Together" he is of the same opinion.
They spend the afternoon preparing. Reviewing photos. planning responses. building their defense.
But as night falls, exhaustion settles in.
Zephyra makes tea. Kairo sits at the kitchen island. misplaced in notion.
"Do you regret it?" she asks quietly. "This complete arrangement?"
He seems up. "Do you?"
"I asked first."
A ghost of a smile. "No. I do not regret it."
"Even with everything that's happened?"
"Even with." His eyes hold hers. "You?"
She should say yes. I should regret the chaos. The threats. The surveillance. The lies.
But she does not.
"No," she admits. "I do not regret it either."
The confession hangs between them. Heavy with meaning.
Kairo's smartphone buzzes. He checks it. His face is going dark.
"What?"
He turns the screen closer to her.
New e-mail. Nameless sender.
The problem line makes her blood run bloodless.
"Footage from this night. thought you need to see this before your meeting with Maya."
Connected is a video document.
Kairo clicks play.
The video shows an eating place. Upscale. Dimly lit.
Maya sits at a table. But she's not alone.
Across from her sits someone in the shadows. Face obscured.
They are talking. Animated. making plans for something.
Then the figure leans ahead into the light.
Zephyra's breath catches.
The person Maya is meeting with is a person they both recognize.
A person who has got entry to their home. Their safety. Their lives.
Someone they depended on.
The video cuts to black.
Zephyra looks at Kairo. His face is white.
"It's not possible," he whispers.
"Who is it?" Her voice shakes.
He would not solve it. I can't find a solution.
Because the individual in that video
changed everything .
Another text arrives on Kairo's telephone.
"Ask yourself who benefits most from destroying your marriage. Then ask who is assisting Maya all alongside."
Who is Maya's partner, and how near does this betrayal reach?