CHAPTER 28

The next morning dawned gray and foreboding, the sky heavy with clouds that seemed to mirror Maya’s unease. She sat by the window in Zane’s suite, her hand resting protectively on her stomach as she watched the estate grounds come alive with activity. Security guards moved in coordinated patterns, their presence more visible than ever before.

Zane had ordered the heightened measures after last night’s revelations, and while Maya appreciated the effort, it did little to soothe her nerves. The knowledge that Donovan Scott was using her father as a pawn left her feeling more vulnerable than ever.

She turned as Zane entered the room, already dressed in a sharp suit that exuded authority. His silver eyes softened when they met hers, but there was an undercurrent of tension in his movements.

“Alex is coordinating with a team to keep your father under surveillance,” Zane said, crossing the room to her. “We’ll make sure Donovan can’t use him against us.”

Maya nodded, her heart heavy. “Do you think my father knows he’s being used?”

Zane’s jaw tightened. “If he does, he’s in deeper than we thought. If he doesn’t…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter. Either way, we’ll protect him.”

His words were meant to reassure her, but Maya couldn’t shake the feeling that they were running out of time.

Later that afternoon, Maya was startled by the sudden buzz of her phone. The caller ID displayed a number she didn’t recognize, but something compelled her to answer.

“Hello?” she said cautiously.

“Maya,” came the familiar voice of her father, Charles Davis. His tone was strained, almost frantic.

“Dad?” she asked, her heart lurching. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to see you,” he said quickly. “There’s… there’s something I need to tell you. It’s important.”

Maya’s pulse quickened. “What is it? Are you in trouble?”

Charles hesitated. “I can’t say over the phone. Just… meet me at the café downtown. The one you loved as a kid. Can you do that?”

Maya glanced at the door, half-expecting Zane to walk in and forbid her from leaving. “I… I don’t know if I can.”

“Please, Maya,” her father said, his voice breaking. “I don’t have anyone else to turn to.”

Her resolve hardened. “Okay, I’ll be there.”

Maya didn’t tell Zane where she was going. She knew he would insist on sending Alex or one of his men with her, and the last thing she wanted was for her father to feel like he was under interrogation.

She slipped out of the estate quietly, her heart pounding as she made her way to the café. The city felt almost foreign after the isolation of the Moretti estate, its noise and chaos a stark contrast to the suffocating silence she had grown accustomed to.

When she arrived at the café, she spotted her father sitting at a corner table, his shoulders hunched and his face pale. He looked up as she approached, his expression a mixture of relief and guilt.

“Maya,” he said, standing to greet her. “Thank you for coming.”

She slid into the seat across from him, her eyes searching his face. “Dad, what’s going on? You sounded… scared.”

Charles glanced around nervously, lowering his voice. “I didn’t want to involve you in this, but I don’t have a choice. Donovan… he came to me months ago, offering a deal I couldn’t refuse. I didn’t realize how deep it went until it was too late.”

Maya’s stomach churned. “What kind of deal?”

Charles hesitated, his hands shaking as he reached for his coffee. “He promised to cover my debts, to protect the company. But then he started asking for favors—small things at first, but they kept escalating. And now…”

“And now what?” Maya pressed, her voice trembling.

“He wants information about Zane,” Charles admitted, his eyes filled with shame. “Details about his business, his assets. He says if I don’t cooperate, he’ll destroy me—and you.”

Before Maya could respond, the sound of the café door opening drew her attention. Two men entered, their dark suits and sharp gazes unmistakable.

Her father’s face turned ashen. “They’re watching me,” he whispered.

Maya’s heart raced as the men scanned the room, their eyes locking onto her and Charles. She grabbed her father’s hand, her voice urgent. “We need to leave. Now.”

Charles hesitated, but the fear in his daughter’s eyes spurred him into action. Together, they slipped out the back door of the café, weaving through narrow alleys as the men gave chase.

Maya’s breath came in ragged gasps as she clutched her father’s arm, leading him through a maze of backstreets. The sound of footsteps behind them grew louder, and she knew they couldn’t outrun their pursuers forever.

Just when she thought they were cornered, a black car screeched to a halt beside them. The window rolled down, revealing Alex’s sharp gaze.

“Get in!” he barked.

Maya didn’t hesitate, pulling her father into the car as Alex slammed on the accelerator. The pursuing men disappeared in the rearview mirror, but Maya’s heart continued to race.

“You were followed,” Alex said, his voice tight. “What the hell were you thinking, leaving the estate alone?”

Maya shot him a glare. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“You always have a choice,” Alex snapped. “And next time, make the smart one.”

When they arrived back at the estate, Zane was waiting in the grand foyer, his expression thunderous.

“Where the hell were you?” he demanded, his silver eyes blazing as he stepped toward Maya.

She met his gaze head-on, her voice steady. “I went to meet my father. He needed my help.”

“You put yourself and the baby in danger,” Zane growled, his hands clenching into fists. “Do you have any idea what could have happened?”

“I know exactly what could have happened,” Maya shot back, her fear and frustration boiling over. “But my father was desperate, and I couldn’t just ignore him.”

Zane exhaled sharply, his anger giving way to concern as his gaze flicked to Charles. “What did Donovan want from you?”

Charles hesitated, then relayed everything he had told Maya. Zane listened intently, his expression growing darker with each word.

“Donovan’s tightening the noose,” Zane muttered. “He’s using everyone he can to get to me.”

“What do we do?” Maya asked, her voice trembling.

“We fight back,” Zane said, his voice cold and decisive. “But first, we need to secure your father. He can’t stay here—it’s too risky. I’ll have Alex move him to a safe house.”

Charles opened his mouth to protest, but Zane silenced him with a sharp look. “You’ve already been compromised. Staying here puts everyone at risk, including Maya.”

Reluctantly, Charles nodded. “Alright. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right.”

That night, as Maya lay in bed, she couldn’t shake the image of her father’s haunted expression. He had always been a pillar of strength in her life, but now he seemed so fragile, so human.

Zane slipped into bed beside her, his hand resting on her stomach as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he murmured.

Maya closed her eyes, leaning into his warmth. “I know. But I can’t stop thinking about what they’ll do next.”

Zane’s voice was steady, but there was a hardness to it that sent a shiver down her spine. “Let them come. I’m ready for them.”

As the storm outside raged against the windows, Maya clung to Zane’s promise, knowing that their fight was far from over.