Chapter 9 - THE MOTHER’S BETRAYAL
By 2:00 a.m., Elias’s private security team had successfully transported my parents to a secure corporate penthouse in Midtown.
Elias didn't come with me into the holding suite. "You need to see this for yourself," he told me at the door. "Without my influence. See who they really are when the chips are down."
I pushed open the heavy suite doors.
The living room was lavish, but my mother was pacing the Turkish rug like a caged animal. When the door clicked shut behind me, she spun around, her eyes blazing with pure hatred.
"You," she spat.
"Mom," I said, keeping my distance. "Are you okay? Did the security team—"
"Security team?" she shrieked, marching up to me and jabbing a finger into my chest. "You had armed thugs drag us out of our house in the middle of the night! Our neighbors saw, Maya! The Millers saw! Do you have any idea how humiliating this is?"
"Mom, someone sent a threat to burn your house down!" I yelled back, my patience snapping. "Meridian Global is dangerous! They were coming for you!"
"Nobody is burning down our house!" Mom screamed. "Lila called me an hour ago! She told me everything!"
I stopped cold. "What did she tell you?"
My father sat on the sofa, his head in his hands, refusing to look at me.
"She told me you stole proprietary research from her and Jake!" Mom said, her voice dripping with venomous conviction. "She said you were jealous that she married into money, jealous that she got that big promotion, so you conspired with that Voss criminal to set her up and steal Jake’s family connections!"
"Mom, listen to yourself!" The sheer absurdity felt like a punch to the gut. "Lila doesn't know how to code! She doesn't understand high-level mathematics! I spent seventy-two hours writing that architecture in my studio while she went to a spa!"
"Lila is a project manager!" Mom roared. "She manages ideas! She gave you the blueprint, and you did the grunt work, like you were supposed to! And instead of being grateful that your sister gave you a little side cash, you tried to steal the credit!"
"She didn't give me side cash, Mom," I said, tears burning my eyes. "I paid for her engagement ring. I paid Jake’s rent when he was laid off."
"Liar!" Mom shouted, stepping forward and slapping me across the face.
The crack echoed through the room. My head snapped to the side, the sharp sting radiating across my cheek.
My father flinched on the couch, but he didn't stand up. He didn't say a word.
"You have always been selfish," Mom whispered, her breath hot on my face, her eyes narrowed into cruel slits. "From the moment you were born, you took up too much space. You were always so smart, so arrogant, looking down on Lila because she struggled in school. But Lila has heart. People love Lila. Nobody loves a cold, bitter computer nerd, Maya."
The words sliced through me, finding old, jagged scars and ripping them wide open.
"Lila made a deal with Mr. Kane," Mom continued coldly, wiping a drop of spittle from her chin. "He’s paying off our mortgage. He’s setting up Jake with a senior directorship. All you have to do is sign over the source code copyright tomorrow morning. If you do, Lila will drop the theft charges against you."
I looked at my mother. Truly looked at her.
The lavender wedding makeup was smeared around her eyes. Her fingers were adorned with jewelry I had bought her for Mother’s Day with my overtime checks.
She didn't care about the truth. She didn't care about justice. She only cared about who was signing the checks.
"And if I don't sign?" I asked, my voice deadly quiet.
May you like
"Then I will testify against you myself," Mom said without a second of hesitation. "I will tell the federal prosecutors that I saw you steal Lila’s laptop from her bedroom last Thanksgiving. I will watch them put you in handcuffs, Maya. For the sake of this family."
***
