Chapter 4 - The Engineered EncounterAdrian hesitated for a fraction of a second, his dark eyes softening slightly as he looked down at me.
“No, Maya,” Adrian admitted quietly. “My security system flagged the unauthorized data breach on your father’s profile. When I traced the backdoor access, it pointed straight to a trap set by someone trying to force a high-value medical intervention using my personal capital. I wanted to know who was playing games with human lives—so I waited for you to call.”
The betrayal hit me like a physical blow. The midnight stairwell, the hotel lounge, the sudden intense chemistry that had made me forget my misery for a single night—it had all been part of an equation. A setup.
“You used me,” I choked out, tears stinging my eyes as I stepped back from him. “My father’s life, my desperation, my humiliation—it was all just bait for your investigation?”
“At first, yes,” Adrian said, taking a step forward, his voice urgent and sincere. “I didn't know who you were, Maya. But the moment I met you in that lounge, everything changed. What happened between us wasn't engineered. My feelings for you are real.”
“Save your romantic speeches for your high-society galas, Dr. Vale,” I snapped, wiping a furious tear from my cheek. “You’re no better than Celeste. You both treat people like chess pieces on a board.”
Celeste, recovering slightly from her panic, let out a harsh, bitter laugh.
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“Oh, stop your dramatics, Maya,” Celeste sneered, regaining her arrogant composure. “You think you’re the victim here? Neither of you understands what is actually at stake. That man lying in bed isn't your real father, and your mother wasn't who you thought she was.”
The heart monitor’s steady beep seemed to echo like a war drum in the silent room.
