Chapter 10 - The Eve of the Departure
The house was quiet again,
but it was the quiet before a hurricane.
I returned to Richard’s room to find him staring at the door,
his face pale.
“I heard,”
he said.
“I’m sorry,
Maya.
You shouldn't have had to deal with that.”
“It’s over,”
I said,
sitting on the edge of the bed.
“He’s gone.
But Ethan is suspicious.
He’s moving the timeline up.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw the luggage being brought to the foyer,”
I said.
“And the private ambulance is scheduled for 6:00 AM.
Not 10:00 AM as they originally said.”
Richard’s jaw set.
“They’re trying to sneak me out before the board can meet.”
I looked at the clock.
It was 3:45 AM.
We had less than three hours.
“Julian sent a message,”
I said,
pulling out the satellite phone.
“He’s in position.
He has the legal injunction ready,
but he needs a physical signature from you,
witnessed by a third party who isn't a family member.”
“That would be you,”
Richard said.
“But a nurse’s signature isn't enough to stop Ethan’s proxy.
We need someone with weight.”
“I have someone,”
I said,
a risky idea taking hold.
“Who?”
“The woman who thinks she’s winning,”
I said.
“Ofelia.”
Richard looked at me as if I had lost my mind.
“Your ex-mother-in-law?
She hates you,
Maya.
She’s on their side.”
“She’s on the side of power,”
I corrected.
“And right now,
she thinks Ethan is the power.
But if she knows that Ethan is about to lose everything,
she’ll switch sides in a heartbeat.
She’s a survivor,
Richard.
Just like me.”
“How are you going to convince her?”
“I’m going to tell her the truth,”
I said.
“And I’m going to show her the evidence of Chloe’s betrayal.
Ofelia loves her son,
but she loves the Vance money more.
If she knows Chloe is planning to hand the company to Apex Bio,
she’ll turn on them.”
I stood up,
checking the hallway.
It was empty.
“Stay ready,”
I said to Richard.
“When I come back,
bring everything you have.
We’re leaving this house,
but we’re not going to Switzerland.”
I moved through the dark corridors to the guest wing where Ofelia was staying.
My heart was in my throat,
every shadow looking like Ethan or Dr. Aris.
I reached her door and knocked softly.
A moment later,
the door opened.
Ofelia stood there in a silk robe,
looking annoyed.
“What do you want,
Maya?
Is my son still outside causing a scene?”
“He’s gone,”
I said,
pushing my way into the room.
“But you need to listen to me,
Ofelia.
Because your future depends on it.”
Ofelia laughed,
a sharp,
bitter sound.
“My future?
I’m a guest of the Vance family.
I’m secure.
You’re the one who’s about to be unemployed.”
I pulled out my phone and showed her the photo of Chloe and Marcus Thorne.
I explained the takeover.
I explained that Ethan was a pawn.
And then I told her that Richard was awake.
Ofelia’s face went through a dozen emotions—disbelief,
fear,
and finally,
cold,
calculating greed.
“If Richard is awake,”
she whispered,
“then Ethan is finished.”
“Exactly,”
I said.
“And if you help me,
I’ll make sure Richard remembers who stood by him.
If you don't,
you can go down with the rest of them.”
Ofelia looked at me,
really looked at me,
for the first time in twelve years.
She saw the woman I had become.
She saw that the "servant" was now the master of the house.
“What do you need me to do?”
she asked.
I smiled.
The plan was in motion.
The sun was beginning to rise over the lake,
the first light of a day that would change everything.
But as I turned to lead her to Richard’s room,
I saw a shadow in the doorway.
Ethan was standing there,
a gun in his hand,
his face twisted in a mask of pure rage.
“I knew you were a problem,
Maya,”
he said,
his voice trembling.
May you like
“But I didn't think you were a suicidal one.”
The cliffhanger hung in the air,
