Maya's POV
I stand outside Ethan's office door, my heart pounding.
Twenty minutes until we leave for the gala. Twenty minutes to decide if I trust the man who saved me or the anonymous stranger warning me about him.
The pregnancy tests are hidden in my bathroom trash. The baby growing inside me is Derek's. And somewhere in this office, there's a file that might explain why Ethan really wants to help me.
I turn the doorknob slowly. It's unlocked.
The office is dark except for city lights streaming through the windows. Ethan's desk sits in the center, neat and organized. Everything in its place. Everything controlled.
Just like Ethan himself.
I move to the desk and open the third drawer. My hands shake as I search through files. Business contracts. Investment reports. Legal documents.
Then I see it. A thick folder labeled "Chen Family."
I pull it out and flip it open. The first page is a photograph of my mother. She's young, maybe twenty-five, smiling at the camera. She looks so happy. So alive.
The caption underneath reads: "Linda Chen. Secretary at Walsh & Associates. Potential witness. Deceased."
Deceased. Like she was just a case file instead of a person. Instead of my mother.
I turn the page. More documents. Police reports about her "accident." Photos of the crash site. Brake line analysis showing clear signs of tampering.
Then I see something that makes my blood run cold.
A document dated three months before my mother died. It's a meeting schedule at Walsh & Associates. My mother's name is on it. So is someone else's name.
Richard Chen. My father.
They worked together at the law firm. They met there. They started dating there.
But according to this document, my father was already married. To someone else. Not my mother.
I flip through more pages, my breath coming faster. Marriage certificate. Richard Chen married to Patricia Morrison. Date: two years before my mother's death.
Patricia. My stepmother Patricia.
My father was married to Patricia while he was dating my mother? That means I'm... I'm the result of an affair?
No. This can't be right.
I keep reading, desperate to understand. Then I find a letter. Written by my mother to my father.
"Richard, I know you're scared to leave Patricia, but we can't keep living this lie. Our daughter deserves to have her father openly, not in secret. I'm going to tell James Walsh everything—about the embezzlement, about us, about everything. We'll start fresh somewhere new. Just the three of us. Please be brave enough to choose us."
My mother was going to expose James Walsh and run away with my father and me. But she died before she could.
And my father stayed with Patricia.
The bedroom door opens behind me. I spin around, clutching the file.
Ethan stands in the doorway, his eyes on the folder in my hands. "You found it."
"You knew," I whisper. "You knew my father was married to Patricia when he met my mother. You knew I'm illegitimate. You knew everything."
"Yes."
"That's why you really chose me." My voice shakes with anger and hurt. "Not because I'm Derek's ex. Not because I'm convenient. Because my father betrayed my mother just like James Walsh destroyed your father. You're using me to hurt both families at once."
Ethan steps into the office, closing the door behind him. "It's more complicated than that."
"Then explain it!" I slam the folder on his desk. "Explain why you have a file on my family going back twenty years! Explain why you never told me my father was already married! Explain why you're really helping me!"
"Because Patricia Morrison was James Walsh's sister," Ethan says quietly.
The words hit me like a physical blow. "What?"
"Patricia is James Walsh's younger sister. She married your father when he was a junior associate at the firm. It was an arranged marriage—James wanted to control your father, to make sure he stayed loyal."
"But my father fell in love with my mother instead," I realize.
"Yes. And when James found out about the affair, he was furious. Not because he cared about Patricia's feelings, but because he was losing control over your father." Ethan's voice is cold with hatred. "So he killed your mother and forced your father to stay with Patricia as punishment."
I sink into Ethan's desk chair, my legs giving out. "Patricia is James Walsh's sister. My stepmother is related to the man who killed my mother."
"And Derek is technically your step-cousin by marriage."
The room spins. I'm pregnant with my step-cousin's baby. My father betrayed my mother with the sister of the man who killed her. Everything in my life is connected to the Walsh family's crimes.
"Did Derek know?" I ask desperately. "When we were dating, did he know about the connection between our families?"
"No. James kept that secret deliberately. He wanted to see what would happen if Richard's daughter fell in love with his son. It amused him."
"This was all a game to him," I whisper. "My relationship with Derek. My mother's death. My father's betrayal. Just a game."
"James Walsh treats people like chess pieces," Ethan says. "He's been manipulating your family for twenty years. Just like he manipulated mine."
I look up at him, tears streaming down my face. "Why didn't you tell me all this from the beginning?"
"Because you wouldn't have believed me. You needed to discover the truth yourself. You needed to be angry enough to want real revenge, not just to win back a man who doesn't deserve you."
He's right. If he'd told me all this last night, I would have thought he was crazy. I would have defended my father. I would have made excuses.
But now I've seen the proof with my own eyes.
"My whole life is a lie," I say quietly.
"No." Ethan kneels in front of me, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Your life up until now was controlled by other people's lies. Starting tonight, you take control. You write your own story."
"How can I do that when I'm pregnant with Derek's baby?"
The words slip out before I can stop them.
Ethan goes very still. "You're pregnant?"
I nod, fresh tears falling. "I took three tests this afternoon. All positive. I'm carrying the baby of my step-cousin who threw me away for a business deal."
Ethan stands and walks to the window, processing this information. The silence stretches so long I think he's going to end our deal. Why would he want to help a pregnant woman?
"Does Derek know?" he finally asks.
"No. I only found out a few hours ago."
"Are you going to tell him?"
"I don't know." I wipe my face with shaking hands. "Should I? Does he deserve to know?"
Ethan turns back to face me. "That's not for me to decide. But I will tell you this—if Derek finds out you're pregnant, he'll try to use it. James will definitely try to use it. A baby gives them leverage over you."
"So I should keep it secret?"
"For now, yes. At least until we've destroyed James Walsh's empire. Then you can decide what to do about Derek and the baby."
I stand up on shaking legs. "You still want to help me? Even though I'm pregnant?"
"Maya, I made a deal with you. Your pregnancy doesn't change that." He steps closer, his voice intense. "If anything, it makes this more important. You're bringing a child into this world. Do you want that child to grow up in a world where James Walsh can manipulate and destroy families? Or do you want to create a safer world for your baby?"
He's right. My baby deserves better than the corrupt, cruel world the Walsh family created.
"I want to fight," I say firmly. "For my baby. For my mother. For your father. For everyone James Walsh has hurt."
"Good." Ethan checks his watch. "We have fifteen minutes. Can you do this tonight? Can you face Derek while you're pregnant with his child and not reveal anything?"
I think about my mother, who died trying to do the right thing. I think about the baby growing inside me, innocent and unaware of the war surrounding it.
"I can do it," I say. "I'll pretend everything is fine. I'll smile and laugh and show them I'm not broken."
"That's my girl." Ethan heads for the door. "Get dressed. Makeup. Hair. Red dress. We're going to destroy them, Maya. But we're going to do it smart."
He leaves. I'm alone in his office with the Chen Family file still open on his desk.
I close the folder carefully and put it back in the drawer. Those secrets can wait. Tonight is about facing my enemies.
I rush to my room and put on the red dress Rebecca bought. It fits perfectly, hugging my body in all the right places. My stomach is still flat—the pregnancy isn't showing yet.
I do my makeup carefully, covering the evidence of my tears. Red lipstick to match the dress. Dark eyes to show I'm not afraid.
When I look in the mirror, I barely recognize myself. I look powerful. Dangerous. Beautiful.
Nothing like the girl who worked three jobs and let everyone walk over her.
Ethan meets me at the door, wearing a perfectly tailored black suit. He looks at me and something flashes in his eyes—approval? Admiration? I can't tell.
"Ready?" he asks.
"Ready."
We ride the elevator down to the parking garage. Ethan opens the car door for me like a real boyfriend would. I slide into the passenger seat, and he closes the door gently.
As we drive toward the Grand Hotel, my phone buzzes. A text from Derek.
"Please don't come tonight. I can't handle seeing you. This is hard enough already."
I show it to Ethan. He smiles coldly. "He's already breaking. Good."
"Should I respond?"
"No. Let him wonder. Let him panic."
We pull up to the Grand Hotel. Cameras flash as valets open our doors. Reporters shout questions. This is a major society event—everyone who matters in the city is here.
Ethan takes my arm and we walk toward the entrance. I hold my head high, ignoring the cameras, pretending I belong in this world of wealth and power.
Inside, the ballroom is filled with people in expensive clothes. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling. A string quartet plays classical music. Waiters circulate with champagne and appetizers.
And at the center of it all, I see them.
Derek and Vanessa, standing with James Walsh and Patricia. The happy family. The perfect picture.
Derek sees me at the exact moment I see him. His face goes completely white. He drops the champagne glass he's holding. It shatters on the marble floor.
Everyone turns to look.
Vanessa follows Derek's gaze and sees me. Her expression changes from smug satisfaction to pure fury in seconds.
James Walsh's eyes narrow as he notices Ethan beside me. He recognizes him instantly. The son of the man he destroyed.
Patricia's mouth opens in shock. She didn't expect to see me here, looking like this, on the arm of a billionaire.
We walk deeper into the ballroom. People whisper and stare. Everyone knows who I am—the girl Derek left at the altar. The girl who lost everything.
Except I don't look like I lost anything. I look like I won.
Ethan leans close and whispers, "They can't take their eyes off you. You're magnificent."
James Walsh steps up to a microphone on the small stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming tonight. We're here to celebrate children's charities, but I also have wonderful personal news to share."
He gestures to Derek and Vanessa. "My son Derek recently married the lovely Vanessa Chen. Despite Vanessa's serious health challenges, their love gives us all hope and inspiration."
The crowd applauds politely. Vanessa smiles and waves, playing her dying girl role perfectly. Derek stands beside her, but his eyes keep darting to me.
"The young couple will share their first dance in a moment," James continues. "But first, let's—"
He stops mid-sentence. His eyes lock on me and Ethan. Pure hatred flashes across his face before he covers it with a fake smile.
"Well," James says into the microphone, his voice tight. "It seems we have some unexpected guests tonight."
Every head in the room turns to look at us.
Ethan squeezes my hand. "Showtime."