Chapter 87
Maya's POV:
The knock came again. Louder this time.
Chloe was closer to the door. She stood, wiping her hands on a napkin. "I'll get it."
I already knew who it was.
The door swung open, and Adam's tall frame filled the doorway, backlit by the hallway lights.
"Mr. Sterling," Chloe said, voice dripping with amusement. "Here to see Maya?"
Adam nodded once.
Chloe stepped aside with an exaggerated flourish. "Well, come on in. I was just leaving anyway." She grabbed her purse and shot me a wicked grin. "You two talk."
I glared at her. She ignored me completely.
"Night, Maya! Night, Mr. Sterling!"
The door clicked shut.
And then it was just us. Adam and me. Standing in my cramped living room like strangers.
Amy was in her room. The apartment was silent except for the hum of the refrigerator.
"Maya."
His voice was low. Rough around the edges.
I was still holding the bottle of ranch dressing.
Adam took a step forward.
I didn't move.
Another step.
His hand closed over mine—the one gripping the bottle.
Then he pulled me into his arms.
I went rigid. Every muscle in my body locked up. But Adam didn't let go. He just held me, one hand pressed against the small of my back, the other cradling the back of my head.
"Maya," he whispered against my hair. "I'm sorry."
My nose burned. My eyes stung.
I wanted to push him away. I wanted to tell him to leave.
But I didn't.
We stood like that for a long time. Neither of us speaking. Neither of us moving.
Then Adam bent his head and pressed a soft kiss to the top of my hair.
I pulled back.
I smoothed my hair behind my ear, setting the stupid dressing bottle on the coffee table.
"Why are you here?" I asked quietly.
"I left the estate," he said. "Started driving. And I just... ended up here."
"Amy's in her room," I said. "You should go say hi. She'd be thrilled."
Adam didn't answer right away. Then he walked down the narrow hallway.
---
When I stepped out of the shower twenty minutes later, Adam was standing in the hallway outside Amy's room.
Our eyes met.
The air thickened.
I clutched my towel tighter.
"Are you leaving?" I managed.
He took a step toward me.
I took a step back.
He kept coming. Slow. Deliberate. Until I was pressed against the wall and he was right there, so close I could feel the heat radiating off him.
He leaned in. His breath ghosted over my ear.
"If you need me," he murmured, voice low and dark, "I can stay. You can use me. However you want."
My face went nuclear.
I jerked my head up to stare at him, and that's when I saw it—the glint of amusement in his eyes. The slight curve at the corner of his mouth.
Oh my God.
He'd heard. He'd heard everything Chloe and I had been saying.
"I don't—" My voice came out strangled. "I don't need anything."
I shoved past him and bolted into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me.
I pressed my back against it, chest heaving, face burning.
From somewhere in the apartment, I heard Adam's low, rumbling laugh.
Then footsteps. The sound of the front door opening. Closing.
He was gone.
I covered my face with my hands and groaned into the darkness.
---
The next morning, I dropped Amy off at Sunny Days and headed to the Garrison Industries parking garage.
I'd just locked my car when someone lunged at me from behind a car.
I dodged on pure instinct, stumbling sideways as a hand swiped past my face.
"You bitch!"
I spun around.
Claire stood there, hair wild, eyes blazing.
"What the hell did you do?" she screamed. "What kind of sick trick are you playing? You have a bastard kid and Adam doesn't even care! How did you trap him?"
She lunged again.
This time, I was ready.
I sidestepped, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and yanked hard.
Claire shrieked.
I spun her around and slapped her. The sound cracked through the garage like a gunshot.
She stared at me, hand pressed to her reddening cheek, mouth open in shock.
I slapped her again.
And again.
Her face went crimson and swollen.
Then I shoved her back against my car with a loud bang, gripping her shoulders.
"Listen to me very carefully, Claire," I said, voice ice-cold. "You want Adam? Go get him yourself. But stop coming after me. I didn't steal him. I didn't trap him. And I sure as hell don't owe you any explanations."
She was shaking. Tears streaked down her face.
"You're a—a whore—"
Slap.
"One more word," I hissed, "and I'll make sure you can't talk for a week."
She bit her lip so hard it bled.
"I'll tell Adam," she spat. "He'll punish you. I saved his life. I'm his—"
"Good for you." I let go of her and stepped back. "But you didn't save mine. So I don't owe you shit."
I turned and walked toward the elevator.
Behind me, I heard her stumble. Then the sound of running footsteps fading into the distance.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
I froze.
Julian was leaning against a car, arms crossed, watching me with a smile.
"Well," he said. "That was impressive."
My face heated. "Mr. Garrison. Anyone would fight back if they were cornered."
"Not everyone." He pushed off the pillar and walked over. "Most people would've just taken it. You didn't."
I said nothing.
"Next time something like this happens," he said, voice serious, "call me. I'll handle it."
"Thanks," I whispered.
"Come on." He gestured toward the elevator. "Let's go up."
---
The second we walked through the glass doors into the building, I felt it.
Eyes. Everywhere.
People stopped typing mid-sentence to stare. A woman at the coffee station whispered something to her coworker. A guy near the printer smirked.
My stomach clenched.
Julian's expression went ice-cold.
"Don't you all have work to do?" he snapped.
Everyone scattered like roaches when the lights come on.
"Thanks," I muttered.
"They don't know the truth," Julian said as we stepped into the elevator. "Ignore them."
"I'm trying."
The elevator doors slid shut. Silence settled between us.
Then Julian turned his head to look at me.
"Maya."
"Yeah?"
His voice was quiet. Almost tentative. "Do you regret having Amy?"
I turned to face him. "What? No. Of course not. Amy is the best thing that ever happened to me. She's my whole world."
Something flickered across Julian's face.
He pressed his lips together and turned away, staring straight ahead at the elevator doors.
The elevator dinged. We stepped out onto our floor.
Before I could even reach my desk, Sarah hurried over, eyes wide with barely-contained curiosity.
"Maya," she whispered. "What's going on with you and Mr. Sterling?"