CHAPTER FOUR
1380 Words
ETHAN’S POV
“We have a serious problem.”
Maya stared at me across the table. The panic in her eyes was obvious now.
I couldn’t blame her. Within a few hours, her life had been turned upside down.
I scrolled through the messages on her phone. It was worse than I expected. Much worse.
People had found her social media accounts. Her workplace. Even the neighbourhood where she lived. Some messages were harmless. Others weren’t.
My jaw tightened. I hated this.
Maya didn’t belong in this mess. She hadn’t asked for any of it.
“What is it?” Liam asked.
I handed him the phone. The smile immediately disappeared from his face.
“Oh.”
“Exactly.”
Maya looked between us. “Can somebody stop saying ‘oh’ and actually explain?”
Liam sighed. “The media found you.”
“I figured that out.”
“They found everything.”
Her face paled. “What do you mean everything?”
I leaned back in my chair. “Your workplace.”
She froze.
“Your apartment building.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“Your social media accounts.”
The colour completely drained from her face. For several seconds, she couldn’t speak.
Then she slowly stood up. “I need to go.”
“Maya—”
“No.”
She grabbed her bag. “No. This is exactly why I avoid rich people.”
Several people nearby turned toward us. She lowered her voice.
“My life was normal yesterday.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“My biggest problem yesterday was my landlord.” Her eyes locked onto mine. “Now strangers know where I live.”
I had no response. Because she was right. Everything she said was right. The situation wasn’t fair. And somehow, she’d been dragged into it because she crossed paths with me.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.
For a second, something softened in her expression. Then it disappeared.
“This isn’t your fault.”
No. But it felt like it was.
Seven years ago, I lost everything. Since then, I’d become used to chaos following my name. Scandals. Rumors. Media attention. I learned how to survive it.
Maya hadn’t. And now she was paying the price.
She took a deep breath. “I’m going home.”
“I’ll have security take you.”
Her eyes narrowed immediately. “No.”
“Maya—”
“No security.”
“It’s safer.”
“I’m not a celebrity.”
I rubbed my forehead. “Neither am I.”
Liam snorted.
Maya looked at both of us like we were insane. “You literally are.”
Fair point.
A moment later, she walked away. I watched her leave, and something felt wrong. Very wrong. The feeling only grew stronger after she disappeared through the restaurant doors.
Liam noticed. “You should follow her.”
“No.”
“You want to.”
“No.”
“You absolutely want to.”
I ignored him.
Liam sighed dramatically. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re annoying.”
“That’s not a no.”
Before I could answer, my phone rang.
Mother. Again. Of course.
I answered. “What now?”
“Ethan.”
Her voice sounded excited. That was never a good sign.
“What happened?”
“I saw the girl.”
I frowned. “What?”
“The photos.”
I closed my eyes. “Mother.”
“She’s beautiful.”
I immediately looked at Liam. The i***t was trying not to laugh.
“Nothing is happening.”
“Then why did you smile?”
I hated it when she asked reasonable questions.
“Goodbye, Mother.”
“Ethan, wait—”
I hung up.
Liam burst into laughter. I glared at him.
“Not a word.”
He laughed harder.
-----
Unfortunately, my amusement disappeared ten minutes later.
Because my head of security called. And his voice was tense. Very tense.
“Sir.”
I immediately stood. “What happened?”
“We have a situation.”
Every muscle in my body tightened. “What situation?”
“There are reporters outside Miss Brooks’s apartment building.”
Damn it.
I looked at Liam. His smile vanished instantly.
“How many?”
“At least twelve.”
I swore under my breath. “Keep watching.”
“Yes, sir.”
The call ended.
Liam stood up. “Ethan.”
“I know.”
“We can’t leave her alone.”
I hated admitting it. But he was right.
For the first time in years, I didn’t care about the headlines. I didn’t care about the gossip. I cared about Maya.
And that realization bothered me more than it should have.
***************
Thirty minutes later, I was standing outside Maya’s apartment building.
The reporters were exactly where security said they would be, waiting, watching, like vultures.
The moment they recognized me, cameras appeared. Questions started flying.
“Mr. Sterling! Is Maya Brooks your girlfriend? When did the relationship begin? Are wedding bells coming soon?”
I ignored all of them.
The security team cleared a path. I entered the building.
A few minutes later, I stood outside Maya’s apartment door. I knocked.
No answer.
I knocked again. Still nothing.
A strange feeling settled in my stomach. “Maya?”
Silence.
I knocked harder. “Maya.”
Nothing.
My concern grew immediately. I pulled out my phone and called her.
No answer. Again. Straight to voicemail. A third time. Nothing.
“Damn it.”
I was reaching for the door again when it suddenly opened.
Maya stood there. Her eyes were red. As if she’d been crying.
My chest tightened unexpectedly.
For a second, neither of us spoke. Then she sighed.
“What are you doing here?”
I looked past her. The apartment was small. Simple. There was nothing like the homes I was used to seeing.
“I came to check on you.”
“I’m fine.”
She wasn’t. Anyone could see that. Her eyes looked tired. Defeated. And for some reason, I hated seeing that look on her face.
“Maya.”
“I’m fine, Ethan.”
Then her voice cracked. Just slightly. But I heard it.
And she knew I heard it.
Embarrassment flashed across her face. She immediately turned away.
I stepped inside before she could stop me.
“Maya—”
Then I saw the open laptop on her table. The screen was filled with articles. Comments. Photos. Cruel messages. Accusations. Rumors. People judged her without knowing anything about her.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
I slowly looked at her. She crossed her arms, trying to appear strong. Trying to hide how hurt she was.
“I told you,” she whispered.
“Told me what?”
“This is why I don’t trust people.”
The sadness in her voice hit harder than I expected. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I said the only honest thing I could.
“I’m going to fix this.”
She laughed bitterly. “No, you’re not.”
“Yes.”
“You can’t.”
Maybe she was right. But I was going to try anyway. Because she didn’t deserve this. And because for the first time in seven years, I cared enough to try.
Before I could say another word, her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen. Then froze. Immediately.
I noticed the change. “What is it?”
She swallowed hard. The colour disappeared from her face.
“Maya?”
Slowly, she lifted the phone toward me.
My stomach dropped when I read the caller ID.
*UNKNOWN NUMBER*
Then, the caller left a voicemail.
A second later, another notification appeared. A text message.
Maya opened it.
And we both stared at the screen.
The message contained only one sentence.
*You should ask Ethan Sterling what really happened seven years ago.*
A chill ran down my spine.
Because there was only one thing that had happened seven years ago. The plane crashed. And somebody out there knew more than they should.
Maya looked at me. I looked back at her.
Then she asked the question I had spent seven years trying to escape.
“Ethan… what if the crash wasn’t an accident?”
- Writer
