Mrs. Simons flinched as she saw Maya’s eyes. There was a certain sense of familiarity that struck her heart. She could not say anything for a while, but after, Mrs. Simons stopped Maya from leaving as she grabbed her arm and said, “You’re not a bother, Maya. I insist you get checked.”
When Maya heard the sincerity and care in Mrs. Simons’ voice, she could not help but feel warm inside. It was like the woman was not a stranger to her and was really hoping for Maya to get well.
Despite that, Maya was still hesitant, and she was also fearful that Pedro and Stephanie would come rushing to the hospital to take her away.
That was her biggest concerns, and she was avoiding that, so she wanted to grab her things at Oli’s then just flee for everyone’s safety.
Maya was well aware that Stephanie came from a rich and powerful family, whereas she has nothing.
People like Stephanie could destroy Maya’s whole life w
“If you’d like, I could offer you a job there back in France. You could work for me and go back to France,” Mrs. Smith informed, while a hopeful look in her eyes. She really liked Maya.As if she remembered something, Mrs. Simons added hurriedly, “But do you have anything important right now? I don’t want to impose or pressure you at all.”Maya shook her head. In fact, even though she liked working in Oli’s restaurant, with Stephanie and Pedro around, she knew it was impossible to feel at peace.“As much as I’d love to, I’m banned from leaving Russia,” Maya said before she scoffed. She then reluctantly refused, “It’s impossible at least until Stephanie hates me less, I suppose.”“That’s no big deal,” Mrs. Simon said, assured with an understanding smile.Maya looked at Mrs. Simons, and she was confused, so she asked, “What do you mean? Stephan
“I just figured the house could use a little enthusiasm, don’t you think so, Cath?” Mrs. Simons stated with a bitter smile.She was silent for a moment as if thinking about something. Her eyes were glinting with sadness and confusion as she continued, “Maya… how do I say this? She’s… genuine, and I felt at ease with her, but I don’t know why and I hate not knowing why.”Cath, the helper, smiled at Mrs. Simons’ reaction. For the longest time that Cath has known Mrs. Simons, she never saw her make such a genuine smile, at least not after that incident.Naturally, Cath felt happy, and she was hoping as well that Maya would think about the offer and accept it.But then, she was worried because Cath knew what Mrs. Simons was planning on doing. Having Maya working with them was a risk to take against a certain crazy old man.“That girl, Maya, actually looked like your niece who
“Then I might consider you were keeping your job. After all, you’re the old Duke’s favorite, and I’ll need to keep you to get on his good side at least until Maya comes into the mansion,” Mrs. Simons continued coldly.Cath could only clench her fist, and she needed the job, too, so she had to bear with Mrs. Simons’s crazy outbursts. She nodded stiffly.Mrs. Simons smiled at her. Her face looked like she was her usual kind self. She was looking at Cath as if she was not injured at all. She then said, “Excellent choice. I’ll see you back at the house tomorrow, Cath.”Then, the chauffeur arrived to fetch Mrs. Simons. She left the car and headed to the new one and said, “Drive me back home safely and have someone tend to Cath’s wounds.”The driver was surprised at Mrs. Simons’s calm behavior, but he dared not ask anything more. He simply nodded and did as he was told.
Meanwhile, as Mrs. Simons was busy plotting how she would manipulate Maya to her advantage, Maya’s friends- Oli, Ryan, and Sally, who had just arrived at the restaurant, huddled up to construct some kind of plan and theories where Maya was.If Maya was there, she would be really amused as well as happy to the point that she might end up crying. Because what they were doing now was just a proof that they value Maya so much.Each came up with a theory of their own, and each one was surprisingly more absurd than the previous one. Everyone was worried and at their wit’s end as Sally entered the restaurant.Sally chuckled nervously, before she asked, “Yo… how’s it going?”Everyone looked at her with dead-set eyes. Oli made a face that said, seriously? And then she scoffed, “Are you being serious right now?” She questioned with a raised brow. Then added, “Okay, we need the old Sally- logical and al
Oli has been, but she was afraid that Ryan was just messing around.Both of them had it engraved in their minds that they were the impossible match. But why would she thing that?It was simply because they were friends for the longest time and harboring feelings for one another and being in a relationship would make or break everything for them, it was impossible to love without such great risks.It was scary dangerous even for someone spontaneous and daredevil like Oli or for someone as calm and collected as Ryan.So, they could not really acknowledge each other’s feelings.Oli stayed out for a little while longer. She hugged Ryan until his musky scent and aftershave lingered in Oli’s nose, and the corner of her lips twitched into a smile.She then muttered softly, “Thank you for always being there for me, Ryan.”“Always.” Ryan replied with as wide smile.Maya was just around the co
So with that, Maya decided to fix her room and little and then, she headed out to begin her search for her parents.Doing so gave her a conflicting feeling. How many years had it been, when she decided to give up on her search? Yet, here she was, leaving the people who cared about her, despite not having any trails or led to follow. It might not be a good idea. It was so risky as it might be, but she knew she had to follow Pedro.It was hard to accept it, but Pedro might be the only person who knows. There was a part of her that still wanted to believe that he might be just fooling her, but what else could Maya do?He was basically her only hope. It if she put it that way, would that not a blessing in disguise since Pedro was the reason she was in Russia in the first place?In Russia, she met Oli and Sally again, then there was the possibility to see her parent too because of him.With that in mind, Maya headed to a café near Pedro’s a
Maya unconsciously found herself staring at Pedro from behind.She thought to herself, maybe if things were a little different… just maybe.Just as soon as the idea appeared, Maya immediately denied it. She snapped out of it immediately and continued to observe Pedro for a couple of minutes, hoping she’d get something out of him. But then it hit her; Stephanie… also knew what Pedro knew about her parents, so her best bet was to strike a bargain with Stephanie.Maya felt compromised with Pedro, and she felt as if the longer she knew him, she would end up liking him. On the other hand, with Stephanie- her enemy to the core, Maya would always be alert and suspicious to trust her.Most of all, Stephanie wanted to make sure Maya stayed as far away as possible from Alexander, and that was something Maya would certainly agree to in a heartbeat. She had no interest in their issues, and she wanted to stay as far away as possible
Then Maya continued further, “Thank god. You’ve been saving my ass twice in a row now. I’m really grateful for you, Mrs. Simons.”“Don’t mention it.” Mrs. Simons said“You were talking to him earlier. Did you already expose me?”Mrs. Simons chuckled, “Pedro and Stephanie are one of the powerhouses, so I know them, but to answer you, no, I didn’t even know what to say about you. Anyways, how about you? How do you happen to know those kids and get into their mess?”“It’s really… a long and complicated story.”“Tell me about it.” Mrs. Simons kindly reached out her hand and said to Maya, “You look like you could use a friend too.”Maya was hesitant, but she took a deep breath and explained everything to the old lady. Maya told her how she was stuck in France because of Alexander and Stephanie. She told her troubles and doubts,