Chapter 7 - THE QUEEN HAS A FLIGHT TO CATCH
The glass doors trembled.
Outside, white landing lights swept across the garden.
Heads turned toward the lawn.
A helicopter descended beyond the hedges, settling onto the resort’s marked helipad under the guidance of two ground attendants.
Beatrice frowned.
“Who authorized that?”
Maya looked at the money in Cal’s hand.
“Keep holding it.”
He blinked.
“What?”
“Keep your fingerprints exactly where they are.”
Then she turned to the nearest guest.
“Did you record that?”
The man nodded.
“Please don’t delete it.”
A woman in a navy suit entered from the terrace with a resort employee beside her.
“Maya.”
Adrian had sent Elise, Crownline’s chief operating officer.
Relief crossed her face when she found her.
Then she saw the soaked blouse. The cash. Cal blocking the aisle.
“What happened?”
“An old family tradition,” Maya said.
Elise looked at Victor.
The recognition was immediate and cold.
“We need to speak with your counsel.”
Beatrice laughed once.
“Wait. You know her?”
Elise turned.
“She founded the company your father has spent four months asking to save his.”
Nobody moved.
Then several people began speaking at once.
“What company?”
“Crownline?”
“That’s Maya?”
Beatrice’s mouth opened, then closed.
On the terrace, the pilot waited beside a ground attendant.
Captain Ben Holloway had flown Crownline teams during a flood relief operation two years earlier. He had heard Rosa call her daughter “my queen” over a video call and never let the nickname die.
He caught Maya’s eye.
“Your ride’s ready, Queen.”
The words carried into the ballroom.
A ridiculous nickname.
A perfectly timed one.
Maya might have smiled on any other night.
Instead, she faced the room.
“My mother cleaned rooms in this family’s hotel. That was honest work.”
She looked at the blank screen.
“What they put up there was an accusation. It was never proof.”
Victor stepped forward.
“Maya, let’s not turn a misunderstanding into—”
“You just accused me of stealing in front of a room full of cameras.”
“We should discuss this privately.”
“We did. You offered me a check.”
His expression tightened.
Elise touched Maya’s arm.
“Adrian’s waiting. We have twenty minutes.”
Maya searched the crowd.
“Lena.”
No answer.
She turned toward the dessert table.
Empty.
Daniel pushed through the guests, breathing hard.
“She’s gone.”
Maya’s stomach dropped.
“Where?”
“Cal’s assistant took her upstairs.”
Across the room, Victor reached for his phone.
May you like
Maya stepped into his path.
“Call him,” she said. “Tell him to bring her back.”
