The Deal

Maya's POV

Jake's phone rang the second I walked back into his office.

I'd forgotten my purse and had to come back, but when I heard him answer the call, something in his voice made me freeze behind the door.

"Yes, she was just here," he said quietly. "No, I don't think she suspects anything yet."

My blood turned to ice. Who was he talking to? And what wasn't I supposed to suspect?

"The plan is working perfectly," Jake continued. "She's desperate enough to do anything we ask."

We? Who was we?

I pressed myself against the wall, my heart pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it.

"Don't worry," Jake said. "By tomorrow night, Maya Chen won't be a problem for anyone anymore."

Won't be a problem anymore. Those words hit me like a punch to the stomach. Jake wasn't trying to help me. He was working with Marcus!

I had to get out of here. Now.

But as I turned to run, my arm bumped the door, making it swing open with a loud creak.

Jake looked up and saw me standing there. For a split second, fear flashed across his face.

Then he smiled.

"I'll call you back," he said into the phone, hanging up quickly.

"Maya! I thought you left."

"I forgot my purse," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Who were you talking to?"

"Client confidentiality," he said easily. "You understand."

But I'd heard enough. Jake was lying to me, just like Marcus had been lying to me. Just like Lisa had been lying to me. Was there anyone in this world who wasn't trying to destroy me?

"Actually," I said, backing toward the door, "I think I made a mistake coming here."

Jake stood up quickly. "Maya, wait. Let's talk about our relationship."

Partnership. Right. The partnership where he helped Marcus get rid of me.

"I don't think that's a good idea anymore," I said.

"Why not?" Jake stepped closer, and suddenly his ice-blue eyes didn't look cold anymore. They looked scary.

"I just... I need to think about it more."

"There's nothing to think about," Jake said definitely. "We had a deal. You're going to get me that recording tonight, and I'm going to help you destroy Marcus Chen."

The way he said "destroy" sent chills down my spine. Was he planning to destroy Marcus, or was he planning to help Marcus destroy me?

"Maybe I should handle this on my own," I said.

"That would be a very bad idea," Jake said quietly. "Marcus Chen is more dangerous than you know. You need protection."

Protection. Or did I need safety from Jake?

I grabbed my bag from the chair where I'd left it. "I have to go. The rehearsal dinner is in a few hours."

"Maya." Jake's voice stopped me at the door. "Be very careful tonight. There are people watching you now. People who don't want you to succeed."

Was that a warning or a threat?

I ran out of his office and didn't stop running until I reached my car. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely get the key in the ignition.

Everyone was lying to me. Everyone was scheming against me. Marcus, Lisa, and now Jake. I was completely alone.

But as I drove home, something Jake had said kept bothering me. He'd said "By tomorrow night, Maya Chen won't be a problem for anyone anymore."

Tomorrow night. That was after my wedding was meant to happen. In the original scenario, Marcus and Lisa had killed me on Christmas Eve - which was tomorrow night.

What if Jake wasn't working with Marcus? What if he was talking about making sure Marcus couldn't hurt me anymore? What if "Maya Chen won't be a problem" meant that Maya Chen would be safe and Marcus would be in jail?

I pulled over and sat in my car, trying to think clearly. I was so scared and confused that I couldn't tell who was trying to help me and who was trying to hurt me.

But I did know one thing. Tonight, at the rehearsal dinner, I was going to find out the truth about everyone.

When I got home, Mom was waiting with my dress for the practice dinner.

"There you are!" she said happily. "I was starting to worry. Where have you been?"

"Just running errands," I said.

"Well, hurry and get ready. We need to leave in an hour."

I went upstairs and put on the dress - a simple blue one that Marcus had picked out. In the original universe, I'd loved wearing it because it was his favorite color on me.

Now, knowing what I knew about him, it felt like wearing a mask for a play I didn't want to be in.

I slipped Jake's recording pen into my bag. Whether he was trying to help me or hurt me, I still needed proof against Marcus. I still needed to protect myself and my family.

The rehearsal dinner was at Antonio's, the fancy Italian restaurant where Marcus and I had our first date. Walking in there felt like walking into a trap.

But I held my head high and smiled like nothing was wrong.

"Maya!" Marcus stood up when he saw me, looking handsome in his expensive suit. "You look beautiful, baby."

He kissed my cheek, and it took everything I had not to pull away. His lips felt cold and fake, just like everything else about him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, holding my hands. "Ready for tomorrow?"

"Actually," I said, looking into his eyes, "I wanted to talk to you about that."

Something flickered across his face. "Talk about what?"

"About us. About our future together."

Marcus glanced around the restaurant, then pulled me aside to a quiet spot.

"Maya, you're making me nervous. What's going on?"

This was it. This was my chance to get him to admit. I turned on the recording pen in my bag.

"I just want to make sure we're getting married for the right reasons," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you love me for me? Or do you love what I can give you?"

Marcus laughed, but it sounded forced. "That's a strange question, Maya. Of course I love you."

"But what about my family's business? You've been asking a lot of questions about the shop lately."

"I'm just interested in your work," he said. "Is that wrong?"

I could see him getting suspicious. I needed to push harder.

"Marcus," I said, moving closer to him, "be honest with me. If I didn't have the bakery, if my family wasn't rich, would you still want to marry me?"

For just a moment, his mask slipped. I saw something cold and calculating in his eyes.

"Maya, why are you asking these questions? Did someone say something to you?"

"Like who?"

"I don't know. Maybe someone who doesn't want us to be happy together."

"Who would do that?"

Marcus grabbed my arm, his fingers digging in hard enough to hurt. "Have you been talking to Jake Winters?"

My heart stopped. How did he know about Jake?

"Why would you ask that?" I said.

"Because someone saw you at his office today," Marcus said quietly. "Someone saw you with a bag full of white fabric. Fabric that looked a lot like a wedding dress."

The room started spinning. Someone had been watching me. Someone had seen me tear up my dress and take it to Jake.

"Marcus, I can explain"

"Can you?" His grip on my arm got tighter. "Because right now, it looks like my fiancée has been plotting against me with my biggest enemy."

"That's not what happened," I said desperately.

"Then what did happen, Maya? What were you doing in Jake Winters' office? And what happened to your wedding dress?"

I stared into Marcus's eyes and realized that my plan had failed before it even started.

He knew I was onto him.

And now I was trapped in a restaurant full of people, with no way to escape, and a man who had already killed me once grabbing my arm and smiling like nothing was wrong.

"You know what, Maya?" Marcus said softly, his voice sweet but his eyes deadly. "I think we need to have a much longer conversation about this. Somewhere more private."

He started pulling me toward the back exit of the restaurant.

"Marcus, wait"

"Don't worry, baby," he said, still smiling that terrible smile. "We're going to figure this all out. Tonight."

As he dragged me toward the door, I saw Lisa watching from across the room with a satisfied smirk on her face.

And I realized that whatever Jake had been planning, whatever deal he'd made or broken, it didn't matter anymore.

Because Marcus Chen was done playing games.

And this time, he wasn't going to wait until after the wedding.