Chapter 48

MARCUS

Maya sat across from me, her eyes downcast and her hands fidgeting nervously in her lap. She looked small and fragile, like a bird caught in a snare.

But the damage she had caused was anything but small.

I stared at her, trying to wrap my head around what she had done. She had followed the orders of a stranger, someone she didn't even know, and in doing so, she had put Nicole's career at risk.

The pictures she had destroyed were crucial, and now they were gone, thanks to Maya's blind obedience.

I felt a surge of anger and frustration rise up in me. I I felt a surge of anger and frustration rise up in me. I didn't even know what to do to her right now.

Part of me wanted to press charges, to make her pay for the damage she had caused.

But another part of me hesitated. Maya was just a pawn in someone else's game.

She had been used, manipulated, and coerced into doing something she didn't fully understand.

Was it really fair to punish her for that?

I couldn't bring myself to