A few days ago…
To everyone, it was a typical day. For Maya, however, it was the day she hit rock bottom. Her life and everything was getting worse. Maya sat on the chair, watching the plane she was supposed to be in, took off.
After being framed and forced to leave her job, Maya wanted nothing more than, take a break. However, even that plan didn’t work for her when she was scammed with a false plane ticket. It was utterly stupid in modern society, but Maya then realized why identity theft was so possible.
At that moment, life seemed obscure for her. She started wondering why all this was happening to her. Did she do something in her previous life that she was paying for in this life? She never hurt anyone. All she wants is to work, save some money, well, a lot of money, and have a good life as everyone has.
Why did Robert frame her for his mistakes?
He was the one who mixed the ingredients and caused that woman to go to the hospital. Why must she take the blame?
Why did no one believe her when she said it wasn’t her fault?
Why mist she loses her job and as a result of wanting to take a break, she travels to a country and finds herself stuck with nowhere to go.
‘I was always cautious and careful, so what is happening to me?’ she thought. Maya was the type that double-checked everything, which was why she was the best at what she was doing. In two weeks, she could’ve become the next head chef of one of the most famous Michelin stars in Paris. But not anymore…
‘And you even need to leave the country to feel better, but still couldn’t even visit a small town. No, the great Maya Jacobs now can’t even repurchase a ticket,’ she continued to rant to herself.
Maya looked at the sky. She prayed and hope for any solution to save her situation that wouldn’t cause her a penny.
‘Father above, I always tried to be thankful for everything even though I curse a lot, but this… Are you going to send someone in my direction to help? If yes, I prefer a very handsome one so I would not feel bad selling my virginity so I can also go back home… Cause you know, I do not want to be in debt…’ Maya prayed silently. ‘Should I start placing add for it? It’s really worth considering.’
There was no way Maya will use her credit card for her situation. It would be her last money to spend. She just lost her job, after all.
Regardless, she needs to find a way to get out of the mess without costing anything. Curse her for being stingy but, earning money was so damn hard nowadays.
It may be impossible for some, but who knows? There was no harm trying and hope her bad luck would disappear soon. Yet, two hours had already passed, Maya was still thinking of the possible solution and still nothing.
Maya was deeply drowned in her thoughts, so she didn’t notice the old lady sitting next to her until she spoke.
“It is so hot!” The elderly lady beside her suddenly exclaimed.
Maya took a glance at the woman sitting next to her. She looked to be in her late 60’s, but she was not sure since the woman seemed like someone who took good care of herself.
Maya smiled stiffly, ‘How can it not be hot if you are still wearing a coat?’ She thought to herself.
The woman was wearing a very thick yellow striped coat that got a lot of attention. She even wore black gloves. From her looks, you would think this lady was living in Iceland.
“Where is my driver? He knows I am not patient!” The old lady continued as if talking to someone unseen.
‘Who is she talking to? Is she talking to me?’ Maya looked at the woman with confusion. For a second, she actually thought that this woman was mentally unstable or something. But Maya knows better than judging someone by their looks.
“Probably because of the traffic?” She answered quietly, to not make the other lady look stupid.
“No, no, Sebastien is here at the airport. I just don’t know where he went, and he’s a good driver. He would never leave me here waiting.” The old lady insisted.
‘Then why are you asking about it, madam?’ Maya questioned herself as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“Well, sorry, I got nothing. I don’t know why your driver is late...” Maya wasn’t practically fond of the conversation she was having. She even regrets replying to her, but Maya was alone, and if this woman wasn’t here, the only conversation she will be having was either with the wall or herself.
‘I’m just looking at the bright picture,’ Maya continued to justify.
“Oh! No need to be sorry. Are you waiting for a family member? A boyfriend or husband, perhaps?” She asked while looking at me mischievously.
“Ah, no one in particular. I am single. I’m not waiting for anyone. A miracle maybe,” Maya replied, saying the last part a little quieter, but the disdain was still evident in her tone.
“Then what are you still doing here? By the way, you have a cute accent. Where are you from?” She said. This lady looks silly. She animatedly talks as she keeps waving her hand, but she does not look so bad. Maya couldn’t help but put more interest in their conversation and the woman herself. Maya was sure she never met anyone quite like her.
“I’m from Paris. Well, I was born in the US, but then after a while, I went to France. I guess that’s what the accent is from,” She said softly, hoping for no discrimination.
“Oh, the beautiful Paris, lovely city! Excellent men for sex!” The old lady exclaimed with a naughty glint in her eyes, “So who are you waiting for?” She then asked again.
Maya ignored the part that the elderly lady just mentioned ‘sex’ casually.
“Actually, no one. I was scammed.” Maya replied honestly and bitterly. She was kind of expecting the old lady to laugh, and she won’t blame the woman.
It was the truth, after all. Who knows, she might be able to help her.
Maybe she was her guardian angel disguised as an older woman?
Maya, although not the religious type of girl, always loved the idea that someone out there was watching over her, protecting her. The idea kept her in the perfect company when she was lonely.
The old lady’s eyes bulged in surprise. “What do you mean?” She then asked, with unmasked concern.
Maya told the woman what happened to her, even though she would get anxious in people’s presence. She finds it helpful to have someone to talk to in a dire situation.
“Poor child. What bad luck you had!” She said it seems like deep thought. “I’m sorry to ask, but you see, I can do a lot of things. I am versatile. I learn easily and efficiently. I really work hard. If you know someone I can work with. Even as a
Maya was so afraid she might ruin something since everything in that house seemed expensive. She recognized at the corner of the room an antique vase she once read that was worth over five hundred thousand dollars. Just the idea to be in the same room with that vase in scary and exciting at the same time.“Thank you for having me,” Maya replied gratefully. Two maids entered the living room holding a tray in their hands, and even the maids looked sophisticated, Maya thoug
“Maya, dear,” Sicilia turned to look at Maya. “I’m sorry for all this fuss,” she said, fixing her already perfect hair.“Oh, that’s alright, is there something going on today? I don’t remember you saying anything. I’m sorry,” Maya asked.“Oh, silly me! Haven’t I told you?” Sicilia asked nonchalantly. &l
Then fast forward to the present. Maya learned that Alexander was not a fat guy. However, she still lacks info from him.Maya needed to know his positive points and all negative points.
She was not sure if it was her imagination or what, but it seemed like Alexander was… ‘No. No way!’ Maya shook her head as she immediately removed the possibility of him being shy.However, if he wasn’t such an ass and like
Maya knocked on the door. But after waiting for a little, she started regretting coming to her room as scared that she might bother the elderly lady.“Come in,” a voice from inside the room said.
Maya’s eyes brightened. The word ‘ogre’ just suddenly popped inside her head, and it seemed as well it was the best visual reference for her moving forward so she won’t be so distracted by Alexander’s handsome face.
Maya was standing next to Sicilia, and Maya had the illusion that his eyes lingered quite longer than normal. She looked at him and their eyes met. For a moment, they kept looking at each other’s eyes, as if time had stopped. As if they were the people in the room as their gazes held, searching for something.
In the United States...Maya was standing in the house that she thought she would not see again.Sicilia was at the door waiting for them to come. When she got out of the car, she immediately went to Sicilia, who embraced her in a long hug.“God, I thought I would never see you again. I was so devastated.”“I thought I would never see you either,” Maya responded after breaking the hug.“So he managed to convince you ?” Sicilia looked back at Alexander.“No, it wasn’t him, it was someone else,” if Pete didn’t come and say those words to Maya, she would still be determined to turn down Alexander, or she would’ve left already. It was all because of Pete, who reminded her to look for her happiness. She thought if she ever forgives Alexander, she would be less of a woman, but that wasn’t the case. She felt even stronger, having the power to reunite them or never be with him a
In France airport, Pete stood between Maya and Alexander, and he looked mad.“What are you doing here?” Alexander asked.
“I uh…” Thomas could not help but feel emotional, but then he snapped. He realized that Mrs. Simons intended to do this! Thomas, enraged, shouted as he threatened Mrs. Simons, “How dare you bring someone like her? She’s my daughter, and she died; you brought that girl here to rub it in my face? Is that it? Huh! You wench!”Mrs. Simons smirked, and just then, Maya stopped the old Duke’s hand mid-air and said, “Please, don’t hurt Mrs. Simons. She was just trying to help me.”Thomas found it odd. Everything about Maya reminded him of his dead daughter- from her eyes, smile, and her kindness. It was too much for the old Duke. Kate passed away young but had she grown up to reach that certain age, Thomas was sure she’d look like Maya.The old Duke left after seeing such resemblance, and that left Mrs. Simons, who was devilishly grinning as everything was going according to plan.Meanwhi
Upon arriving at France, Maya sighed heavily. She felt bad not having to say goodbye at everyone, but then again, she didn’t really think she could face any of them at the moment. The people Maya trusted the most ended up lying to her and manipulating her.But Maya was really bothered about what Alexander said about Mrs. Simons being her aunt. It was impossible, right? Maya knew almost for sure that it was impossible. Perhaps because of Mrs. Simons’s wealth and status, Maya never imagined herself to be anything related to her.Maya shook her head.“Are you okay?” Mrs. Simons asked, “How was the flight?”“Everything was super okay. I didn’t know airlines could fly at any time preferred without any prior notice on the schedule.”Mrs. Simons chuckled, “They didn’t. The plane we rode here is our family’s personal plane since the old Duke, and I love traveling.”“
Stephanie said then before leaving, “I’ll leave it to you to decide what to believe in but here are the files you need. Nothing leads back to Russia, so I say nothing’s keeping you here anymore. The main branch of Greenwillow is at France, and you have a better shot there than here.”“Thank you, Stephanie, for helping me.”Stephanie flinched as she heard that. She did not know what to say because the truth was it was her and Mrs. Simons who was manipulating Maya right now. Mrs. Simons’ plan was to break off the connections holding Maya back from leaving for France- and those were her friends and Alexander.Stephanie gulped hard, kept her composure, and said, “Just remember our agreement. You’ll cut off connections with Alexander. I’ll let what happened last night when you dance with him go and everything else if you just stay away from him as soon as you leave for France.”Maya scoffed, &ld
“Maya’s not answering,” Stephanie said to Mrs. SimonsMrs. Simons was frustrated as she paced back and forth the room, “She must have been with Alexander right now. Damn it. I underestimated Alexander. He’s the perfect tool against me.”Stephanie raised an eyebrow, “Watch your tone. It’s Alexander you’re talking about. I suggest you be careful of what you say about him.”Mrs. Simons rolled her eyes, and then, she had an idea. Mrs. Simons smirked, “I’m betting Maya is back at Oli’s mansion as we speak.”“And? What are you planning?”“Since Pedro gathered them all up to delay Maya leaving for France, I’m just going to ‘undo’ what he did,” Mrs. Simon reasoned, “Once Maya knows about how Alexander, Oli, Sally- the people she trusted the most, are all trying to delay her form-finding her family, she would be so devastated a
“Aren’t you going to give me a chance to explain?”“No. Now leave before I punch you in the face.”Alexander said, “I’m actually quite surprised you still haven’t done that already.” Alexander continued, “Anyway, I can’t leave. I just told you, you owed me for all the trouble last night, and it wasn’t cheap too.”“You’re making it up. I don’t remember anything like that.”Alexander smirked, “Oh, but you remembered what you said and did to me-“Maya immediately covered Alexander’s mouth and whispered to him, “If you say anything- even one word about it to Oli or Sally, I’ll kill you, okay?”Alexander nodded as he was continued teasing Maya.Sally raised an eyebrow, “What were you saying, Alexander?”“Nothing.” Alexander smirked at Maya and continued, “I probably r
So, Maya walked her way towards Alexander. Her steps were light as to not distract Alexander, who was casually sitting, book in his hand, and the light was naturally hitting his black hair. Alexander looked like a scene from a movie.Whereas Maya was a mess, she barely brushed her hair, and her clothes were a mess because Oli chose the first set of clothes that would fit her for the night, and her face was not yet completely clean from all the make-up last night.Ugh, this sucks. Maya groaned as she thought to herself, this is not how I planned our meeting to happen. In fact, Maya never planned to cross paths with Alexander ever again. Maya awkwardly greeted, “Hello. Erm… uh, about last night-“She was worried that she most probably did something stupid, then her thought ran along the lines of what would Stephanie do to me now? The last conversation they had was when Stephanie texted Maya she would be late because sh
“I figured the silhouette was yours because of this.” Stephanie reluctantly broke the glass case near Kate’s old room and grabbed the Emerald green Greenwillow brand handbag there. Stephanie explained, “I saw this bag on the picture and coincidentally, at the video of the orphanage too when you left Maya. I figured only one would have this bag in possession since it was discontinued, and there was only one of this manufactured because it was Kate’s work. Kate made it as a gift for her aunt, and that is none other than you, Mrs. Karin Simons.”Mrs. Simons scoffed, “I’ve always loved the bag but thinking that Kate made it was disgusting, but still, I had to keep up the act and wear that bag every day.”“This green bag is the only physical evidence that would bring you down. If the video of you handing Maya over at the orphanage with this green bag, your alibi will fail, and they would know that you weren’t