Chapter 6 - The Visitor from the Past
Monday morning arrived with a brilliant, deceptive burst of coastal sunshine that glittered across the Atlantic like diamond dust.
Maya woke up wrapped in Ethan’s arms, the heavy weight of his arm thrown casually across her waist. For a few glorious seconds, she felt safe. She felt like she belonged here, in the quiet luxury of the Ashford estate, cradled by a man who had gone to war for her soul.
Then, the harsh, jarring ring of the intercom buzzed in the hallway downstairs.
Ethan stirred immediately, his training kicking in. His eyes snapped open, clear and alert, and in a fraction of a second, the relaxed lover vanished, replaced once again by the cold, tactical billionaire.
“Stay here,” he instructed quietly, pressing a swift kiss to her forehead before throwing off the duvet and pulling on a dark shirt.
Maya sat up, pulling the sheet to her chest, a cold knot forming in her stomach.
Ten minutes later, the sound of raised voices drifted up the sweeping staircase.
“Ethan, you cannot possibly be serious!” a sharp, aristocratic female voice echoed through the upper hallway. “ sequestering yourself in this mausoleum with some random nobody you dragged out of a restaurant?! The board is in an uproar! The acquisition talks in Frankfurt are stalling because you refuse to take calls!”
Maya’s breath caught. She recognized that voice from society pages and financial news broadcasts: Victoria Vance. Socialite, high-powered corporate attorney, and the woman the financial press had spent five years pairing with Ethan Vale as his inevitable corporate and marital match.
Ethan’s voice rang out, cold enough to freeze liquid nitrogen.
“My personal life is not open for debate, Victoria. And if you ever show up at my private residence uninvited again, your firm will no longer represent Cole Industries.”
“You’re throwing away everything we built for a street rat?!” Victoria shrieked, her composure finally shattering.
The double doors of the master suite banged open.
Victoria Vance stood on the threshold, her designer Chanel suit immaculate, her blonde hair styled into a razor-sharp bob, her sapphire eyes blazing with furious jealousy. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Maya sitting in the center of the giant bed, wearing Ethan’s oversized cotton shirt, her hair delightfully messy.
Victoria’s face twisted into an expression of pure, unadulterated venom.
“Well,” Victoria sneered, stepping into the room. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Even wolves like playing with stray dogs until they bite.”
Before Maya could even open her mouth to defend herself, a dark shadow filled the doorway.
Ethan moved with terrifying speed. He stepped past Victoria, grabbing her arm with enough force to make her gasp, and physically hauled her backward out of the suite, slamming the heavy oak door shut with a concussive bang that rattled the picture frames on the walls.
Outside in the hallway, Victoria’s muffled screams of outrage were cut short by Ethan’s cold, lethal command:
“Escort her off my property immediately, Marcus. And if she ever crosses my gates again, ensure she never practices law in this state.”
A moment later, heavy footsteps retreated down the stairs, followed by the heavy front door slamming shut.
Silence descended upon the master suite once more.
Maya sat frozen on the bed, her hands trembling. The illusion of safety had just been shattered by reality. She looked at the door, realizing with brutal clarity what she already knew deep down: she didn't belong in Ethan’s world. Victoria Vance was right. She was a stray dog wandering in a lion's den.
When Ethan re-entered the room, his face was carved from pale, furious stone. He walked quickly toward the bed, reaching out to cup her face.
“Maya... ignore her. She means nothing. She’s a relic of a past I’ve already buried.”
“She’s right, Ethan,” Maya whispered, pulling away from his touch. Her green eyes were swimming with unshed tears. “Look at me. Look at this house. Look at the gulf between your world and mine. What happens when the novelty wears off? What happens when your board of directors eats me alive?”
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“My board answers to me,” Ethan said fiercely, his voice cracking with panic as he saw her pulling away. “I don’t care about Victoria. I don't care about the board! I care about you.”
“I can’t live in a golden cage, Ethan,” she said softly, throwing off the blanket and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “I need to go back to Queens.”
