Chapter 5 - The Confrontation in Portland
The rain was pouring in sheets when Marcus and I pulled up to the dreary, grey house in the suburbs of Portland.
The neighborhood was quiet, lined with old trees and rusted cars.
"I'll go in first," Marcus said, unbuckling his seatbelt.
"No, I need to do this," I insisted, pulling the collar of my trench coat up. "If she sees a security guard, she'll run."
I stepped out into the freezing rain and walked up the cracked concrete path.
I knocked hard on the wooden door.
There was no answer, but I could see a light flickering through the curtained window.
I knocked again, louder this time. "Maya! It's Julia. I know you're in there."
I heard a muffled curse, followed by the sound of a deadbolt sliding back.
The door opened a crack, revealing Maya's pale, terrified face.
She looked ten years older than the last time I saw her. Dark circles bruised the skin under her eyes, and her hair was a tangled mess.
"Julia," she breathed, her eyes darting to the street. "You shouldn't be here."
"Let me in, Maya," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "Or the next knock will be the police."
She hesitated, then opened the door wider, stepping aside.
The living room was sparsely furnished, littered with moving boxes and empty takeout containers.
"Where is she?" Maya asked nervously, wringing her hands. "Is the baby safe?"
"She's with us," I said, stepping into the center of the room. "Why did you do it, Maya? Why did you steal my child?"
Maya burst into tears, covering her face with her hands.
"I didn't want to! I swear to God, Julia, I didn't want to!"
"You forged my signature," I yelled, the anger finally boiling over. "You took our embryo and put it in a surrogate! Why?"
"Because he threatened to kill my brother!" Maya sobbed, collapsing onto a cheap sofa.
I froze. "Who? Who threatened you?"
"David," she whispered, looking terrified. "David Sterling."
My stomach dropped.
David Sterling was Eric's Chief Operating Officer.
He was Eric's closest friend, his right-hand man, and the godfather to the child we had lost.
"David?" I repeated, shaking my head. "That makes no sense. Why would David want us to have a baby?"
"He didn't want you to have a baby," Maya cried. "He wanted leverage."
"Explain," I demanded, pulling up a chair and sitting across from her.
Maya wiped her face with a trembling hand.
"David was quietly embezzling millions from the R&D department," she explained. "I found out by accident when I was cross-referencing your expenses."
"And instead of telling me, you let him blackmail you?"
"He told me if I said anything, he would frame my brother for wire fraud. My brother was on parole, Julia! He would have gone back to prison forever."
"So how does a baby fit into this?" I pressed.
"David knew Eric was planning to step down as CEO in a few years to focus on philanthropy," Maya said.
"Yes, we discussed that," I confirmed.
"David wanted the CEO position," Maya continued. "But Eric was leaning towards an outside hire. David needed a way to control Eric."
Maya took a shaky breath.
"David forced me to steal the embryo. He paid a surrogate offshore. His plan was to keep the child hidden, then reveal it to the press as Eric's illegitimate love child."
May you like
"A scandal," I whispered, seeing the pieces fall into place.
"Yes," Maya nodded. "David was going to use the scandal to force Eric to resign in disgrace, leaving David to take over the board."
