Stephanie then went to fix her face and her hair as she tried on the dresses. She then looked at the files again to try and figure out more about Maya’s parents, but she was on a dead end. The only evidence she had was Maya’s mother- Kate’s picture.
Stephanie looked at it closely, and then she noticed something she did not notice before. She saw a familiar silhouette in the background. The face was not very clear, but Stephanie knew it looked too similar to be a coincidence.
It was Mrs. Simons in the background, and she was flaunting that unusual emerald, green collection Greenwillow bag―the collection that was discontinued. Stephanie squinted her eyes to see more clearly than it hit her.
Everything made sense suddenly.
That bag was the same bag caught in the video from the orphanage, and if it was discontinued, the only person who could have it in possession was none other than the owner of Greenwillow. Mrs. Karin Simons owned Greenwill
Meanwhile, Oli, Ryan, and Sally arrived at the party. Sally looked prim and proper with her blush pink ball gown and beaded white mask. Her hair was up neatly in a bun like a princess.Oli, on the other hand, went to have an edgier vibe. Oli wore a classic black and red combination with the flares and all that made for dancing, it looked quite revealing too, and her mask was ruby red. Her arms linked with Ryan’s, who was dressed neatly in his white polo with rolled-up sleeves and black fitted vest along with a black mask with its sharp corners.Oli was in awe as she saw the venue, “Woah, this is definitely one heck of a party.”“Oli, language.” Ryan reminded, “Try not to get kicked out as soon as we arrive. Let’s go find Maya first.”Sally nodded, “Let’s split up. You and Oli could look at the left-wing side of the venue, and I’d go look at the right-wing side.”They all nodded
Pedro, worried and was feeling uneasy, got up and searched for Maya as well. Pedro said to one of his people, “You do the speech, and I’ll go find someone.”“But Sir, it’s your party. You can’t just dash-““I don’t care.” Pedro said in a heartbeat, “I’ll find Maya. You deal with this. I don’t want what nonsense you have to say. Just say it on stage.”Pedro once again dropped everything on the line for Maya. He wasn’t the type to not follow his plans or word, and yet there he was, rushing around the venue to go look for Maya. The music stopped as Pedro’s secretary did the speech, and soon, the music continued into a slow song.With that, he saw her.Pedro saw Maya from across the room. Maya looked so pretty in her navy-blue ball gown that had elegant white ruffles at the side and gold embroidered details. She wore her brown hair down effortlessly and even
“You help me cover up Maya’s real identity. With that, I’ll make sure Maya would never get Alexander. They could play around and meet like this, but they would never get married.” Mrs. Simons grinned devilishly, “If you help me, I will make sure you win in the end.”“Alexander… will be mine?”Mrs. Simons nodded and Stephanie, who felt so lost and in pain at the moment, agreed to help Mrs. Simons without hesitation. Stephanie thought it made sense. If Maya discovers the truth, it would be a happy ending for her, and Alexander- Maya would be better than Stephanie in every way. She would be richer, more famous, and a better match now for Alexander.She knew she could not let that happen.Like her father always told her, she must always be perfect, and she was not allowed to lose. Stephanie glanced at Maya and Alexander as she said to Mrs. Simons, “I want Maya out of Russia after the party.
Alexander then pulled Maya back, and having lost her balance, Maya ended up hugging Alexander. Maya turned her face towards Alexander’s. She could smell the faint woody and fresh scent that used to be her favorite scent. She felt the intense chemistry once again.Her heart was beating like crazy, her pupils dilated, and she could not think straight. All Maya could do was look at Alexander, and in that instant, almost immediately, all her defenses broke down. She thought to herself, how unfair. All Alexander had to do was show himself to me, and I was back to being the doe-eyed girl that was irrevocably in love with him.The thought of it infuriated Maya. She promised herself never to be in the same position again. She promised not to associate herself with Alexander because nothing good ever came out of it, but there she was, being swept off her feet so effortlessly.“How are you? Have you been eating your meals right and now skipping until
Alexander let her sleep for a while longer to sober up. He removed his coat and used it to tuck Maya since it was cold outside. Alexander gently patted Maya to help her sleep. Maya smiled, and she muttered, “Will you disappear the moment I open my eyes?”“I won’t.” Alexander replied, “Not this time. Not again.”“Really? You’ll come to see me after I wake up?”“Yes, although I think you’d punch me in the face if you meet me sober.”Maya just laughed it out.Oli, Ryan, and Sally ended up following Maya to the garden, but as they saw her with Alexander already and cozy as she slept, Oli teased, “Well, at least I won’t have to make such a scene after all.”“I knew Maya and Alexander would still end up together no matter what.” Sally scoffed, “Well, she’s drunk and asleep. I guess we won’t be able to talk to her after all.
Feeling the cold air of the night, Alexander stated as he closed his eyes, “Do you reckon everyone at your party already left?”Pedro replied after he took a glance inside the venue through the huge glass transparent doors. The lights were still on but there was no more music so Pedro figured everyone already left or at least majority did. He replied, “Maybe.”“Didn’t you say that Maya would surely come at this party because of the guests you invited?”Pedro nodded. He paused for a while before answering, “I had to make sure Maya would come and stay here at Russia.”“You’re the one who put alcohol in the fruit punch, weren’t you?”Pedro was hesitant whether he should confess of just completely deny it but after seeing Alexander’s reaction, he figured Alexander wanted the same thing, so he nodded then he asked, “You knew?”“Well, the fa
“Hey, how come you take her back home. Just so you know, I don’t trust you well enough to let you go there alone-“Pedro cut him off and said, “I don’t know where Maya lives currently, so I’m dropping her off at her friends’ house. I’m going there with Sam so you don’t have to come. Besides, are you sure you want to meet her friends after what you did to her?”Alexander gulped hard. He knew Maya’s friends through Maya’s stories and all that. Despite never actually meeting her friends, Alexander knew he was in deep trouble after all the pain he caused her.Alexander said, “Fine. You can take her home but for the record, I’m not scared of her friends-““You should be.” Pedro smirked teasing Alexander, “Trust me, I met them.”Alexander scoffed, “I’ll meet them properly next time when things are more… stable.”
Inside the mansion, it was awfully quiet. Pedro could hear the crickets outside and the birds chirping from the complete silence as Oli and Sally judged him silently. They all sipped coffee after Pedro carried Maya to her room.Finally, Oli broke their silence, and she asked, “So, do you like Maya?”Pedro almost choked on his coffee, he replied, feeling all flustered, “I… I do. I like Maya.”“And what do you like about her?” Sally asked.“Everything.” Pedro answered, “I like everything about her.”“Even when she snores late at night? Or argue a lot? Or even if she’s too loud?”Pedro nodded.The two sipped their coffee in disbelief. Pedro then said, “I know I controlled Maya before. I practically locked her in Russia as my sister requested but upon knowing her, I… I just did not want to let her go. It was really selfish, and I was confused