Chapter 4 - THE GASLIGHTING GALA
The phone didn't stop ringing.
My mother called at noon.
I answered.
“Maya!”
she shrieked.
“How could you?”
“Do you have any idea how embarrassed we were?”
“Julian Cross had to touch you.”
“A man of his stature!”
I held the phone away from my ear.
“I almost died,
Mom.”
“Oh,
hush,”
she snapped.
“Chloe said you were just having an anxiety attack.”
“She said you’re always jealous of her success.”
“She spent fifty thousand dollars on that charity dinner.”
“And all people are talking about is your little tantrum on the floor.”
I looked at the scars on my palm from where my nails had dug in.
“I have the medical report.”
“I have the blood work.”
“It was shellfish,
Mom.”
“Well,
accidents happen!”
she said.
“You should have checked your soup.”
“Anyway,
Chloe is hosting a follow-up brunch.”
“To smooth things over.”
“You will come.”
“You will apologize to Chloe.”
“And you will tell Julian Cross that you were confused.”
I stared at the wall.
The betrayal was a bottomless pit.
“I’ll be there,”
I said.
I hung up.
I didn't cry.
I didn't have the energy for it.
Julian walked in ten minutes later.
He had a file in his hand.
“Trent just signed the intent to invest.”
“He’s leveraging everything.”
“He thinks he’s going to be the next partner at Cross Capital.”
I stood up.
I smoothed my skirt.
“Good.”
“Let him dream.”
“Let him think he’s finally moving into the big leagues.”
I went to the mirror.
I applied a layer of red lipstick.
It looked like blood.
It looked like a warning.
I drove to my parents' estate.
The house was a sprawling mansion in Buckhead.
It was white pillars and manicured lawns.
It was a cage I had escaped years ago.
The driveway was full of luxury cars.
Chloe’s Mercedes was front and center.
I walked into the foyer.
The smell of lilies was overwhelming.
My mother rushed toward me.
She didn't hug me.
She checked my hair.
“You look tired,”
she whispered.
“Go find Chloe.”
“She’s in the garden with the Sterling family.”
I walked out to the terrace.
Chloe was holding a mimosa.
She was laughing with Trent’s mother.
When she saw me,
her face changed.
It was a flash of annoyance,
then a mask of concern.
“Maya!”
she called out.
The entire terrace went quiet.
“Are you feeling better?”
“We were so worried about your...
episode.”
I walked up to her.
I didn't stop until I was in her personal space.
“I’m fine,
Chloe.”
“The epinephrine worked wonders.”
Chloe’s eyes flickered.
“Well,
everyone makes mistakes.”
“Maybe next time you should read the menu more carefully.”
I smiled.
“Oh,
I learned my lesson.”
“I’m reading everything very carefully now.”
“The menus.”
“The bank statements.”
“The deed to this house.”
Trent walked over.
He looked smug.
“Maya,
leave your sister alone.”
“She’s had a stressful morning trying to fix the damage you caused.”
“In fact,
I should thank you.”
“Julian was so impressed with how I handled the situation that he’s closing the deal early.”
I looked at Trent.
He was a small man in a big suit.
“Is that so?”
“Yes,”
he said.
“We’re moving the headquarters to the Cross building.”
“Right above the restaurant.”
I took a sip of water from a passing tray.
“That sounds like a very expensive move,
Trent.”
“Are you sure you can afford it?”
Trent laughed.
“I’m a Sterling,
Maya.”
“We can afford anything.”
I looked at Chloe.
She was watching me.
She knew something was different.
She could see the lack of fear in my eyes.
“I hope so,”
I said.
“Because I’ve heard the new landlord is a real bitch.”
“She’s raising the rent.”
“And she’s demanding a full audit.”
Chloe narrowed her eyes.
“What landlord?”
“The building is owned by a conglomerate.”
I leaned in.
I whispered in her ear.
“The conglomerate has a name,
Chloe.”
“It’s called Maya’s Rest.”
“And I’m the CEO.”
I stepped back.
I watched her face turn from confused to pale.
She didn't believe it.
Not yet.
But the seed was planted.
I turned and walked away.
I didn't wait for her to respond.
I didn't wait for my mother to scold me.
I walked to my car.
Julian was waiting at the gate.
“Did you tell her?”
he asked.
“I gave her a hint,”
I said.
“I want her to spend the night wondering if I’m lying.”
“I want her to check the filings.”
“And then,”
I said,
“I want her to realize that she fed poison to the person who owns her life.”
I drove away.
The sun was bright.
The road was clear.
The Ellis family was still drinking mimosas.
May you like
But the glass was already beginning to shatter.
And I was the one holding the hammer.
