Chapter 2
Around him, the Boston elite swarmed like moths to a very expensive flame.
"Mr. Sterling," a man with a senator's pin murmured, inclining his head.
Sterling.
I stood frozen near a pillar, gripping my champagne flute until my knuckles turned white. Adam wasn't the drifting soul trying to find himself in the Midwest. He was a Sterling. The heir to a dynasty that practically built this city, Old Money so deep it predated the traffic lights on Beacon Street.
The realization hit me like a physical blow. The gap between us wasn't just a breakup; it was a canyon carved by centuries of compound interest. He hadn't just been living in Cleveland; he had been hiding, wearing a costume of normalcy to see if the poor girl would stick around when the car broke down.
And I had failed the test.
Our eyes met across the room.
For a second, I thought I saw recognition.
Then nothing. His gaze slid past me like I didn't exist.
"Come on. The band is starting." Julian finished his drink and set the glass on a passing tray. "If I want that contract for the Austin tech park, I need to make an impression."
Before I could protest, the orchestra swelled into a waltz. Julian steered me toward the center of the floor, maneuvering us directly into Adam’s orbit. We stopped right next to him.
"Mr. Sterling," Julian said, flashing a charming, practiced smile. "Julian Garrison. Garrison Industries."
Adam turned slowly. He looked from Julian to me, his expression unreadable.
"Please," Julian gestured to me, "allow me to introduce my date."
"This is my Executive Assistant. Maya Bennett. She has excellent capabilities."
"Assistant," Adam repeated the word. He looked at me with a glint of mockery. "I assumed you two were together. But then again, that wouldn't fit the profile, would it?"
Julian blinked, confused. "Excuse me?"
Adam swirled the ice in his glass, his voice low and conversational, loud enough for the surrounding circle to hear. "Miss Bennett had a very specific life plan. She told me she wanted to marry a rich man. It seems that ambition hasn't been realized yet."
My throat closed up. My face burned. Around us, I could feel the eyes of strangers sensing the drama, smelling the blood in the water.
The opening notes of a waltz saved me from having to respond. Julian grabbed my hand, eager to escape the awkwardness, and led me onto the dance floor.
"You know him," Julian stated.
"My last job in Cleveland," I said, staring at Julian's tie knot to avoid looking at the room. "We had a conflict."
"A conflict?" Julian let out a low whistle. "Jesus, Maya. You pick your enemies carefully. The Sterlings eat people like us for breakfast. Whatever you did, find a way to apologize. We can't afford to be on his bad side."
"I know," I whispered.
Then, the music shifted. The conductor announced a partner exchange. The circle rotated. Before I could pull away, Julian was swept off by a woman in purple silk, and a hand—large, warm, terrifyingly familiar—settled on my waist.
I looked up.
Adam held me.
We were pressed together, moving in a slow, rhythmic circle. He led with an effortless grace I didn't know he possessed. His hand on my back felt like a brand.
"I looked for you," I said softly, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "For a long time, Adam."
He glanced down at me. His face was a mask of indifference. He didn't answer.
"Are you still angry with me?" I asked, my voice cracking.
He spun me around a corner of the dance floor, his grip tightening. When he finally looked at me, the disdain in his eyes was absolute.
"You think I'm angry?" He let out a short, humorless laugh. "You're overthinking this, Maya. You were a footnote in a boring chapter. If you hadn't shown up tonight, I wouldn't have even remembered your name."
Tears pricked my eyes.
Tell him, part of me screamed. Tell him about Amy. Tell him he has a daughter.
But what would that accomplish? He'd think I was using her. Using a child to trap him, to get my hooks into Sterling money.
"I see," I whispered, forcing a smile. "I'm sorry. It was presumptuous of me."
I lowered my eyes, praying for the music to end.
The valet pulled up Julian's silver Audi A8. Julian slid into the backseat, and I walked around to the driver's side. He'd had three glasses of whiskey, which meant I was driving him home tonight.
"You were quiet tonight," Julian said, breaking the silence.
"Just tired," I said.
"Who's watching your daughter?"
"A friend. I'm staying with her temporarily. She's helping out."
Julian nodded slowly. Then: "Funny thing. Your daughter looks an awful lot like him."
"Mr. Garrison, please," I said, forcing a laugh that sounded brittle. "That's a dangerous thing to say. I can't afford to piss off people like him."
"Relax, Maya," Julian chuckled, though his eyes remained watchful. "I'm just making an observation." He leaned forward slightly. "Who is the father, anyway?"
"He's dead."
And in a way, it wasn't a lie. The Adam I loved—the gentle, warm man from Cleveland—was dead. The man I met tonight was just a stranger wearing his skin. I wasn't going to let Amy near him. She was mine. Just mine.
Julian shrugged and finally closed his eyes.
By the time the Uber dropped me at Chloe's brownstone on Commonwealth Avenue, it was past ten.
I unlocked the door as quietly as I could, but Chloe was already there, barefoot in yoga pants and an oversized Red Sox t-shirt. She pulled me into a hug the second I stepped inside.
"Amy's asleep," she said into my hair. "Put herself to bed at nine. Got her own pajamas, told me she needed a bath. I ran the water and she handled the rest. Four years old and she's more responsible than half the guys I've dated."
I hugged her back, turning my head to kiss her cheek. "Thank you."
"Stop." Chloe cupped my face in her hands. "You've been running yourself ragged since you got here. I just quit my job, so I've got time to kill anyway. Besides, Amy's my goddaughter. If I don't put in the hours now, she's gonna grow up thinking you're the only person who matters. Can't have that."
I laughed, but it came out shaky. My eyes stung.
Chloe immediately dragged me into the kitchen, pushing a plate of leftover Boston cream pie toward me. "Okay. What happened? Eat something sweet first."
I took a bite. "I found him, Chloe. I saw Adam."
Chloe’s eyes went wide. "You found him? That's... wait, is that good?"
I shook my head slowly, the exhaustion finally crashing down on me. "He lied to me, Chloe. Everything was a lie."
"What do you mean?"
"He told me he was a nobody." I let out a bitter, jagged laugh. "Adam isn't nobody. He's Adam Sterling. As in Sterling Global Holdings."
"The billionaire Sterlings?" Chloe gasped. "Why the hell would he hide that?"
"To test me," I whispered, the humiliation burning fresh again. "He wanted to see if I loved him or his money. And he thinks I failed. That's why he disappeared."
"That paranoid bastard," Chloe hissed. "That is entrapment! You don't test people you love like that." She grabbed my hand. "So... did you tell him? Does he know about Amy?"
I stood, brushing crumbs off my dress. "No. I need to pee now." I said, my voice shaking.
