Chapter 3: The Sanctuary of Lies
The rain had started to fall in sheets by the time Julian’s sleek black Aston Martin pulled into the underground garage of Maya’s modest Brooklyn apartment building. They had driven in complete silence. What was there to say? Sorry my mom ruined your dress and turned out to be your actual mom?
Once inside the tiny, one-bedroom apartment, Maya completely collapsed. The adrenaline that had kept her standing at the altar evaporated, leaving her hollow. She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the cheap laminate floor, Julian’s tuxedo jacket pooling around her.
Julian locked the deadbolt, threw his keys on the counter, and immediately went to her. He knelt beside her, pulling her into his chest. He didn't speak. He just let her cry.
Maya sobbed until her throat was raw. "It makes sense," she whispered eventually, her voice muffled against his crisp white shirt. "God, Julian, it makes so much twisted sense. Why I always felt so out of place. Why I was so drawn to you... but not like a brother. Never like a brother."
"We aren't siblings," Julian said fiercely, lifting her chin to force her to look at him. His eyes were burning with intensity. "Do you hear me, Maya? We share no blood. I was an orphan, just like you. They just bought me a little earlier and dressed me in nicer clothes."
"But to the world—"
"To hell with the world!" Julian snapped, the polished, corporate facade finally cracking. He stood up, pacing the small living room like a caged panther. "Do you know what this means? She lied to me, Maya. Eleanor always told me she adopted me because she wanted a son. She never told me I was a replacement for a dead girl. I had to find out from the household staff when I was twelve!"
Maya watched him, realizing that this revelation had shattered Julian’s identity just as much as hers. He was the heir to a multi-billion dollar real estate empire. But if Maya was alive... she was the true blood heir.
"What do we do now?" Maya asked softly.
Julian stopped pacing. He looked at the woman he had promised to love forever. "We fight. If she thinks she can just flip a switch and be your mother, she’s out of her mind. Tomorrow, we go to the hospital. We get a DNA test to confirm it beyond a shadow of a doubt. And if it’s true..."
"If it's true, I don't want her money," Maya said firmly. "I don't want the Sterling name. I just want you."
"And you have me," Julian said, walking over and pulling her up to her feet. "I don't care if they strip me of my title, my trust fund, or my position as CEO. I will marry you, Maya. Even if we have to elope to the end of the earth."
Suddenly, there was a sharp, rhythmic knock on the apartment door.
Julian and Maya froze.
The media couldn't have found them this fast. Julian approached the door cautiously and looked through the peephole. His breath hitched.
May you like
Standing in the dimly lit hallway, flanked by two massive men in suits, was Arthur Sterling. His uncle.
"Julian, open the door," Arthur's smooth, dangerous voice filtered through the wood. "We have a massive corporate crisis on our hands, and a family mess to clean up. Open up, boy, before I have my men take it off the hinges."
