Chapter 3 - The Web of Lies
The tiny living room of Apartment 4B was quiet, save for the low hum of an old refrigerator in the kitchen.
Nathaniel sat on our worn, faded couch, looking far too large and elegant for the cramped space. He held a chipped mug of tap water in his hands, his gaze fixed on my mother, who sat across from him at the small wooden dining table.
I sat next to my mother, holding her hand tightly. My mind was spinning. The man whose picture was on news channels and corporate billboards—the billionaire who owned energy grids and marble skyscrapers—was my father.
"Start from the beginning, Maya," Nathaniel said softly, his tone pleading. "Please. Tell me what happened twelve years ago. Why did you disappear?"
My mother swallowed hard, wiping her cheeks with a tissue. She looked at the small window overlooking the noisy street below before turning back to Nathaniel.
"Twelve years ago, when I was your chief researcher, we discovered the new clean-energy synthetic fuel formula," my mother began, her voice steadying. "It was worth billions. The night before we were supposed to file the patent under Graves Energy, your younger brother, Julian, came into my lab."
Nathaniel’s eyes darkened at the mention of his brother’s name.
"Julian offered me five million dollars to sell the patent to a foreign conglomerate instead of filing it under your name," my mother continued. "When I refused, he threatened me. He said if I told you, he would make sure I was ruined. A week later, I found out I was pregnant with Ruby."
Nathaniel’s hand tightened around his water mug so hard I thought the glass would shatter. "You were pregnant... and you didn't tell me?"
"I tried to!" my mother cried out, tears welling up in her eyes again. "The night I found out, I went to your private office at the estate. But you weren't there. Julian was. He showed me security photos of my aging parents' house. He said if I stayed in the city, if I ever spoke to you again, or if I tried to have the baby, he would make sure my family suffered a 'fatal tragic accident.' He gave me twelve hours to leave the state and change my name."
Nathaniel closed his eyes, a deep groan of agonizing pain escaping his chest. "Julian... my own brother..."
"I was terrified, Nathaniel!" my mother wept. "I was twenty-two years old, pregnant, broke, and running from a man who had unlimited security guards and millions of dollars at his disposal. I fled to a tiny town in Oregon, worked under fake names, and raised Ruby in absolute secrecy. I thought if I ever came back to Seattle, Julian would find us and hurt Ruby."
"Why did you come back to Seattle four years ago?" Nathaniel asked softly.
"My parents passed away," my mother whispered. "I had nowhere else to go. I thought after eight years, Julian would have forgotten about me. I moved to Aldridge Street because it was cheap, and I kept my head down, taking any cleaning job I could find just to buy food and pay rent. But then I lost my job at the bakery last month... and the housing authority sent the eviction notice."
Nathaniel set his mug on the coffee table and stood up. He walked over to the small table where my mother sat, dropping to his knees beside her chair, just as he had done with me in the lobby.
"Maya," Nathaniel said, looking up at her with fierce, unshakeable devotion. "I didn't know. I swear on my life, I had no idea. Julian told me you stole money and abandoned the company. He forged documents showing you moved to Switzerland. When he told me eight years ago that you had died in a boating accident, I fell into a deep depression. I spent twelve years believing the only woman I ever loved had betrayed me and died."
My mother looked down at him, her eyes searching his face for any sign of deception. "You... you truly didn't know about Ruby?"
Nathaniel looked at me, a warm, magnificent smile breaking across his tear-stained face.
"I didn't know I had a daughter," Nathaniel whispered, taking my small hand and my mother's hand, holding them together within his palms. "But now that I know... I will destroy anyone who ever tries to hurt either of you again. Starting with my brother."
Suddenly, the heavy wooden door of Apartment 4B shook violent with a loud, aggressive pounding.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Maya Lin!" a harsh, raspy voice shouted from the hallway outside. "Open the door! This is the city marshal's enforcement team! You are being illegally occupying this property! Open the door right now!"
My mother gasped in terror, springing up from her chair and pulling me behind her. "No... they said we had three days!"
Nathaniel stood up calmly, adjusting the cuffs of his dark suit jacket. His warm, gentle expression instantly vanished, replaced by the terrifying, icy authority of the chief executive of Graves Energy.
"Stay behind me," Nathaniel commanded softly, walking toward the door.
He reached out and pulled the apartment door wide open.
Standing in the hallway were three men in tactical vests holding eviction notices, flanked by a tall man in a sharp grey suit holding a briefcase.
The man in the grey suit looked up, expecting to see a terrified, broke single mother.
Instead, he found himself looking directly into the freezing, lethal glare of Nathaniel Graves.
The attorney in the grey suit dropped his briefcase, his face turning instantly pale.
"M-Mr. Graves?" the attorney stammered, trembling. "What... what are you doing in this slum?"
May you like
Nathaniel leaned slightly on his silver cane, a cold, ruthless smile touching his lips.
"I am standing on my property, counselor," Nathaniel said, his voice dropping like an anvil. "And you have five seconds to tell me who sent you here to throw my wife and daughter onto the street."
