Chapter 8
1047 Words
Then Edward reached for a file on his desk and tossed it toward her.
Maya caught it clumsily.
When she opened it, her blood went cold.
It was William’s company report.
Debt statements.
Bank warnings.
Pending lawsuits.
Every ugly detail.
“What is this?” she whispered.
Edward slipped one hand into his pocket casually.
“Your husband is drowning.”
Maya looked up sharply.
“You investigated him?”
“I investigate anyone connected to you.”
The possessiveness in his tone made her pulse shake.
Anger flared instantly.
“You had no right—”
“He’s about to lose everything,” Edward interrupted coldly. “Including your apartment.”
Maya’s face paled.
“How do you know about that?”
Edward said nothing.
Which was answer enough.
Fear slowly crept into her chest.
This wasn’t a coincidence.
Edward knew everything.
Every problem.
Every weakness.
Maya swallowed hard. “Why are you doing this?”
For the first time, real emotion flickered across his face.
Pain.
Gone almost instantly.
“You once told me,” he said quietly, “that loving a poor man was exhausting.”
Maya froze.
Four years ago.
The night she left him.
She had said those exact words during their worst fight.
Back then, she was angry. Frustrated. Tired of struggling.
But seeing the damage still living in his eyes made guilt twist painfully inside her.
Edward stepped closer again.
“So tell me, Maya,” he murmured. “Was it worth it?”
Before she could answer, the office doors suddenly burst open.
A beautiful woman walked in confidently and wrapped her arms around Edward’s arm.
“Edward, the investors keep asking for you—”
She stopped abruptly after noticing Maya.
Then her perfectly shaped brows lifted slightly.
The woman standing beside Edward was breathtaking.
Long dark hair.
Perfect makeup.
Diamond earrings that probably cost more than Maya’s yearly salary.
Everything about her screamed wealth and class.
The kind of woman Maya used to imagine Edward would eventually marry once he became successful.
Still, seeing it in front of her hurt more than expected.
The woman smiled politely and extended her hand.
“I’m Vanessa Laurent.”
Maya stared at it for half a second before shaking it lightly.
“Maya.”
Vanessa’s smile sharpened slightly.
“Oh, I know.”
The tension in the room became suffocating.
Edward calmly walked back toward his desk as none of this bothered him.
Which somehow bothered Maya even more.
Vanessa glanced between them curiously. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No,” Edward answered immediately.
The quick response stung.
Maya looked away first.
Vanessa moved closer to Edward naturally, her hand still resting on his arm.
The intimacy looked practiced.
Comfortable.
Maya hated herself for noticing.
“Investors want us downstairs,” Vanessa said softly. “The investors have arrived.”
Us.
One small word.
But it landed like a knife.
Edward adjusted his cufflinks lazily before finally looking at Maya again.
“We’re done here.”
Maya blinked.
That was it?
He drags her into his office, digs into her husband’s financial collapse, and emotionally tears open old wounds—
—and now he was dismissing her?
Anger surged through her chest.
“You hire me here just to humiliate me?”
Vanessa looked surprised by the accusation.
But Edward’s expression didn’t change.
“I hired you here because I wanted to see something.”
Maya crossed her arms tightly. “See what?”
His gaze lowered briefly to the cheap ring on her finger.
Then back to her eyes.
“Whether you looked happier after choosing him.”
The brutal honesty knocked the air out of her lungs.
Vanessa’s smile faded slightly.
Even she looked uncomfortable now.
Maya forced herself to stand straighter.
“I am happy.”
Edward’s jaw tightened almost invisibly.
But Maya caught it.
Good.
For once, she wanted him to hurt too.
“William loves me,” she continued. “Maybe he’s not rich anymore, but at least he doesn’t treat people like possessions.”
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
Edward slowly walked toward her again.
Vanessa immediately sensed the shift in atmosphere.
“Edward…”
But he ignored her completely.
By the time he stopped in front of Maya, her heartbeat was completely out of control.
“You think your husband is a good man?” Edward asked quietly.
Maya frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Edward reached into his desk drawer and pulled out another file.
This time, he handed her a single photograph.
Maya’s stomach dropped instantly.
William.
Entering a hotel.
With the same man who drugged her.
Her fingers trembled.
“No…” she whispered.
Edward watched her carefully. “That photo was taken a few days ago.”
Maya stared at the image, unable to breathe properly.
“No,” she repeated shakily. “William wouldn’t—”
“He’s desperate,” Edward interrupted coldly. “Desperate people make ugly choices.”
Maya looked up at him, eyes burning with humiliation.
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?”
Vanessa looked stunned now.
Clearly, she hadn’t expected this either.
Maya quickly shoved the photo back toward him.
“I’m not doing this with you.”
She turned immediately and walked toward the door before he could see the tears building in her eyes.
“Maya.”
Edward’s voice stopped her.
She hated that it still affected her.
Slowly, she turned back.
For the first time since she entered the office, his expression softened slightly.
“Your husband met with investors last night,” he said quietly. “One of them was me.”
Maya frowned in confusion.
Edward held her gaze steadily.
“And he offered you to me.”
The world stopped.
Maya’s face drained of color.
“What?”
Edward’s eyes darkened.
“He said if I save his company…” He paused deliberately. “...he’ll give me anything I want.”
Maya’s breathing became uneven.
“No.”
But deep down—
deep down—
She suddenly remembered William acting strangely the night before.
The nervousness.
The guilt in his eyes.
Edward took one final step closer.
“And unfortunately for your husband,” he murmured, “the only thing I want… is you.”
- Writer
