Chapter 5 - Erasing the Evidence
Julian stared at Maya, his jaw clenched, the tension in the room spiking to a dangerous crescendo. "Who are you?"
"My name is Maya Lin. I'm the caterer who dove into that pool and pulled your wife off the bottom," Maya replied, her voice unwavering. "And I know what I saw. It was cold-blooded attempted murder."
Before Julian could answer, the door swung open again, and Victoria entered the room. She held a cardboard tray of coffee cups, her face pale, without makeup, the picture of a grieving, supportive sister. But the moment her eyes landed on Maya, the temperature in the room plummeted.
"Julian?" Victoria said softly, her voice trembling with manufactured fragility. "Is Clara awake? Oh, thank the heavens!" She took a step toward the bed, but Clara flinched violently, shrinking back into the pillows, her monitor alarms chiming as her heart rate spiked past 140.
"Get away from me!" Clara screamed. "Julian, get her away from me!"
Victoria froze, looking devastated. "Clara... what is wrong? Julian, what did I do?"
"She says you pushed her, Victoria," Julian said, his voice flat, his eyes searching his sister’s face for any crack in the facade. "And this woman—the one who pulled Clara from the water—says she saw you do it."
Victoria’s eyes widened in sheer, theatrical disbelief. She looked from Julian to Maya, a soft, sorrowful gasp escaping her lips. "Pushed her? Julian, how could you even entertain such an atrocity? I love Clara. I love your unborn baby. I have dedicated my entire life to protecting this family!"
She turned on Maya, her expression hardening into righteous indignation. "And you. Miss Lin, isn't it? The agency informed me that you were hired on a temporary contract. Julian, I didn't want to bring this up while Clara was recovering, but my security team informed me that this woman had been caught snooping near the private penthouse suites earlier that evening. Now she comes in here, making outrageous accusations against a Montgomery?"
"That is a lie!" Maya snapped, taking a step forward. "You're spinning this because you know you're caught!"
"Am I?" Victoria sneered, dropping her innocent tone for a fraction of a second. "Then where is your proof? If you're so sure, show Julian the security footage."
A chilling realization washed over Maya. "The terrace cameras..."
"Yes, the terrace cameras," Victoria said smoothly, pulling a crisp linen handkerchief to dab her eyes. "Julian, I went straight to building security while Clara was in the ambulance to secure the footage so we could clear up any confusion about the brake failure. Tragically, the storm earlier in the afternoon caused a short-circuit in the rooftop hub. The terrace cameras were offline from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. There is no footage."
Clara let out a shuddering gasp. Victoria had planned this. She had disabled the surveillance before the party even started.
"You see?" Victoria whispered, looking at Julian with sorrowful eyes. "Clara is traumatized, and this opportunist is looking for a multi-million-dollar settlement from our family. Julian, please. Have security escort this woman out before she upsets Clara any further."
Julian stood frozen, caught in a purgatory of doubt. He looked at Clara’s terrified face, then at Maya’s defiant glare, and finally at his sister’s seemingly innocent tears. "Maya," Julian said quietly, his voice heavy with conflict. "Thank you for saving my wife's life. I will write you a check for whatever you need. But right now... I need you to leave."
"Julian, no!" Clara wept.
Maya looked at Julian with profound disgust. "Keep your money, Mr. Montgomery. You’re blind. But remember this: an apex predator doesn't stop hunting just because its prey survived the first strike."
May you like
Maya turned and walked out of the room. Victoria watched her leave, her eyes narrowing into cold, calculating slits. Maya had to be handled. And Clara... Clara could not be allowed to leave this hospital alive.
***
