Chapter 3 - Richard Already Knew My Last Name Mattered
Richard came to the small motel where Lily and I stayed.
I didn’t let him inside.
He stood outside the door.
“Maya, this has gone too far.”
“You shoved my face into Lily’s cake.”
“You slapped Vanessa.”
“Yes.”
He looked almost relieved to have something he could use against me.
“That’s assault.”
“So is what you did.”
Silence.
Then I asked:
“When did your mother learn Margaret Hale was my grandmother?”
His eyes shifted.
That tiny movement told me enough.
“You knew.”
“I knew the name.”
“When?”
“Before the wedding.”
I felt my stomach drop.
“You married me knowing your mother had history with my grandmother?”
“She said Margaret caused problems at Sterling.”
“What kind of problems?”
“Financial accusations.”
“And you never thought I deserved to know?”
“It was thirty years ago.”
“Then why are you scared now?”
He looked toward the parking lot.
“I’m not scared.”
“You are.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“Julian Sterling can destroy Bennett Hospitality.”
There it was.
Money.
Richard’s family owned a high-end event and catering company.
I had worked there almost full-time after Lily was born.
Officially, I was “helping.”
In reality, I handled bookings, guest lists, vendor calls, staff schedules, and last-minute disasters.
I was paid far less than a manager.
Richard called it temporary.
Three years later, I was still “the waitress.”
“Why would Julian destroy the company over my grandmother?”
Richard didn’t answer.
So I asked differently.
“What does your mother still do for Sterling?”
“Events.”
“How much?”
He hesitated.
“About forty percent of our corporate work.”
That was enormous.
If Julian stopped hiring the Bennetts, their company would be in trouble.
Then Richard said:
“Mom thinks Julian is overreacting.”
“Overreacting to what?”
He looked down.
Apparently, the Sterling company had already requested thirty years of archived vendor records connected to Olivia’s old employment.
But not only old records.
Current Bennett invoices too.
I stared.
“Why current?”
Richard said nothing.
My anger shifted.
If the problem were only a thirty-year-old accusation, modern Bennett invoices wouldn’t matter.
May you like
Julian had seen something in that ring that made him question whether an old pattern had returned.
And Richard knew enough to be afraid of where the review would lead.
