Chapter 93
Maya's POV:
I pulled into the lot, killed the engine, and grabbed my bag. The restaurant door was still visible from where I'd parked.
Adam was still standing there.
I froze with my hand on the door handle.
He hadn't left.
I shoved the door open and got out.
"Maya."
His voice cut through the air.
I ignored him. Walked straight toward the entrance, determined to get in, get my keys, and leave.
A hand caught my wrist.
I stopped. Looked down.
Adam's fingers were wrapped around my wrist. In his other hand, he held my keys.
He dangled them slightly. A faint smirk played at the corner of his mouth.
"Looking for these?"
I reached for the keys. "Thanks."
He let go.
I turned toward my car.
"Maya Bennett?"
I stopped. Turned around.
I recognized them immediately.
My stomach dropped.
"Vivian?" I heard myself say. "Mr. Jameson?"
Victor Jameson's face crumpled. He looked... smaller than I remembered. Thinner.
"Miss Bennett," he said quietly. "I haven't worked at the Cleveland office for a long time."
I pressed my lips together. Didn't say anything.
And then Vivian stepped forward.
She bowed. A full ninety-degree bow.
"Maya," she said. "I'm sorry."
I blinked.
What the fuck?
This wasn't the Vivian Jameson I remembered. The Vivian who'd tracked me down to the little café near Sterling's Cleveland office, dressed head-to-toe in designer labels, acting like she owned the place. The Vivian who'd slid into my booth uninvited and—
---
"Maya, I like him."
Her voice had been cold. Flat.
"Who?"
"Adam." She'd tilted her head. "You're dating him, right?"
I'd frozen. "And?"
"Break up with him."
My hands had clenched around my coffee cup. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." She'd smiled. "Break up with him. Or I'll make sure he takes the fall for this project."
"What project?"
"The one that's about to blow up." She'd leaned in. "My dad's the deputy director, Maya. If something goes wrong, someone has to take the blame. And if you don't end things with Adam, I'll make sure it's him."
"You're insane."
"Am I?" Her smile had widened. "He's just a data analyst, Maya. No connections. No protection. If the FBI comes knocking, who do you think they'll believe? The deputy director's daughter, or some nobody from Cleveland?"
My throat had tightened. "Adam didn't do anything wrong."
"Doesn't matter." She'd shrugged. "If I say he did, they'll believe me. He'll lose his job. He'll go to prison. His whole life will be ruined."
She'd stepped closer. Her perfume had been overwhelming.
"Do you want that, Maya? Do you want to watch him rot in a cell?"
I hadn't been able to breathe.
"I'll give you twenty-four hours," she'd said. "Break up with him. Or I'll destroy him."
She'd walked away.
And I'd stood there, shaking, trying not to throw up.
---
I stared at Vivian now. At her cheap clothes. Her tired face.
She wasn't that person anymore.
But I couldn't forget.
"Sorry?" I said. My voice came out sharper than I'd intended. "You're sorry?"
Vivian flinched.
"Do you know what you did?" My hands were shaking. "Because of you, someone died. A whole family was destroyed."
Because of you, I had to break Adam's heart.
But I didn't say that last part.
Victor stepped forward. "Miss Bennett, please. Vivian knows she made a terrible mistake. She's paid for it. She went to prison. She—"
"Good," I said.
The word came out cold.
Victor's face crumpled.
I turned to leave.
---
Adam's POV:
I watched Maya walk away. Her shoulders were tight. Her hands were clenched.
Then I turned to Victor.
"Vivian," I said. My voice came out low. Dangerous. "Why did she apologize to Maya?"
Vivian's eyes went wide. She took a step back.
"Mr. Sterling, I—"
"Answer the question."
She looked at her father. Shook her head. And then she ran. Just turned and bolted down the sidewalk.
Victor stayed. His shoulders sagged.
"Mr. Sterling," he said quietly. "Vivian liked you. Back then. You and Miss Bennett were together, and she... she wanted Miss Bennett to break up with you."
The cold feeling in my chest spread.
"What did she do?"
Victor swallowed hard. "She told Miss Bennett that if she didn't end things, she'd make sure you took the fall for the data breach. That we'd frame you. That you'd go to prison."
The world tilted.
I stared at him.
"Say that again."
"Vivian threatened Miss Bennett," Victor said. His voice was shaking. "She told her you'd lose everything if she didn't leave you."
My hands clenched into fists.
I knew about the data breach. I'd known for years. Vivian had bribed someone in IT to manipulate system permissions on a medical insurance database. They'd leaked patient records to the dark web—including an HIV-positive client's medical history.
The client had been doxxed. Harassed. Driven to suicide.
Sterling Global had paid millions in settlements. The FBI had shut down the project.
I'd fired Victor. Sent Vivian to prison.
But I hadn't known she'd gone to Maya first.
That she'd used me as a weapon.
That Maya had broken up with me to protect me.
I turned toward the parking lot. Maya's car was already gone.
"Mr. Sterling—" Victor started.
"Get the fuck out of here," I said.
He nodded. Mumbled apologies. Shuffled away.
I stood there for a long time.
Then I got in my car and drove home.
---
The Beacon Hill estate was quiet when I pulled up. I walked inside. My father was in the living room reading. My grandmother was sitting beside him.
They both looked up when I walked in.
"Adam?" Dad set down his newspaper. "You're home early."
I sank onto the couch. Dropped my head into my hands.
Grandma walked over and poked my forehead with her finger. "What's wrong with you?"
"Grandma," I said. "I can't forgive myself."
She frowned. "What did you do?"
I told them. About Cleveland. About the project. About Vivian threatening Maya.
About the fact that Maya had broken up with me to save me.
I looked up at them.
"If I hadn't hidden who I was, Vivian wouldn't have been able to threaten her. Maya wouldn't have been scared. We wouldn't have broken up."
My throat tightened.
"I spent five years hating her. Thinking she abandoned me. But she was trying to protect me."
Grandma sat down beside me. Put her hand on my shoulder.
"Why are you telling me this?" she said gently.
I blinked. "What?"
"You need to tell Maya. You need to apologize to her."
"I don't know if she'll—"
"I don't care." Grandma's voice went hard. "You figure it out. You do whatever it takes. You got me?"
I nodded slowly.
"Your mother doesn't represent all women, Adam. There are good ones out there. Maya's one of them."
Dad cleared his throat. "Be honest with her, Adam. No more secrets. If you want her heart, Adam, you have to give her yours first."
Grandma stood. "Now. Your father and I are going to pick up Amy. You sit here and think about how you're going to grovel."