Chapter 2 - The Echoes of the Past
Maya didn't sleep that night.
She lay in her small bed, listening to the hum of Catherine's oxygen machine, replaying the encounter in the study.
Arthur's eyes hadn't just been angry; they had been desperate.
The next morning, Maya arrived at the estate expecting to be fired.
Mrs. Gordon was waiting in the foyer, her posture stiffer than usual.
“Mr. Penhaligon wants to see you in the dining room,” the older woman said, her tone dripping with disapproval.
Maya nodded and walked down the long, silent hallway.
Arthur was sitting at the head of a massive mahogany table, a cup of black coffee in his hand.
He looked up as she entered.
“Sit,” he commanded.
Maya took a seat halfway down the table, keeping her back straight just as her grandmother had taught her.
“I apologize for my reaction yesterday,” Arthur said.
His voice was composed, stripped of the raw emotion she had seen the day before.
“It's fine, sir. I shouldn't have disturbed you.”
“You didn't disturb me,” Arthur replied, his dark eyes locking onto hers. “You surprised me. My wife, Elise, died three years ago. Along with my daughter, Lily.”
Maya felt a sudden ache in her chest.
“I'm so sorry, sir.”
“Elise was French. She composed music. That lullaby... she wrote it for Lily. She never published it. She never wrote it down.”
Maya frowned, confused.
“Then how does my grandmother know it?”
Arthur leaned forward, intertwining his fingers.
“That is exactly what I intend to find out. What did your grandmother do for a living before she got sick?”
“She was a trauma nurse at Ironwood General.”
Arthur's breath hitched, though his face remained a mask of stone.
Ironwood General was the hospital where Elise and Lily had been taken after the car crash.
“I see,” Arthur murmured. “You may go back to your duties, Maya. You still have a job.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Maya stood up, relieved but deeply unsettled.
As she walked out, she almost collided with a tall, sharp-featured man in a tailored gray suit.
He gave her a dismissive once-over before walking past her into the dining room.
“Arthur, my man!” the stranger said smoothly. “Still brooding in the dark?”
Maya lingered near the door, picking up a dustpan to justify her presence.
“What do you want, Victor?” Arthur's voice was ice cold.
“Just checking in on my favorite brother-in-law,” Victor replied. “The board is getting anxious. You haven't attended a meeting in six months.”
“The company is running perfectly well.”
“Is it? Rumor has it you're finally losing your edge. Maybe it's time to let someone else take the reins.”
Maya saw Arthur stand up slowly, his imposing figure dwarfing Victor.
“Elise's shares belong to me, Victor. Not you. You will never have control of Penhaligon Steel.”
Victor chuckled, but it sounded hollow.
“We'll see, Arthur. We'll see.”
Victor stormed out of the dining room, brushing violently past Maya.
She noticed something fall from his pocket as he shoved his hands into his coat.
May you like
After the front door slammed shut, Maya walked over and picked the item up.
It was a crumpled receipt from an auto repair shop, dated three days before the crash that killed Arthur's family.
