Chapter 3 Returning To The Morgan Estate Again

Maia stood outside Vista Villas, her finger pressing the doorbell of the Morgan estate.

She had picked this time carefully - she remembered how afternoons were usually quiet, each family member off chasing their own distractions.

When the door creaked open, it was Tricia Scott, the longtime housekeeper. Her eyes flew wide at the sight. "Is that really you, Miss Morgan? I... I can't believe you're here!"

The moment the words spilled out, Tricia covered her mouth with her hand, instantly regretting them.

The title belonged to Rosanna now. As far as the Morgans were concerned, Maia didn't exist anymore.

And if Rosanna happened to hear how Tricia had spoken to Maia, the fallout would be brutal.

With a quiet, measured tone, Maia said, "I'm just here to pick up a few of my things." Then she walked in as if she'd never been gone.

Just as she'd expected, the place felt empty - eerily so. No voices, no footsteps.

As she made her way toward the stairs, Tricia rushed after her in a fluster. "Miss... uh, Maia, what exactly are you looking for? I can help you search."

"It's alright, Tricia. Everything I need should still be in my room. I'll just be a moment."

But before she could take another step, Tricia blocked her path. Her gaze darted everywhere but Maia's face. "Well, um... about that..."

A crease formed on Maia's forehead. Something didn't sit right.

Her voice lost its calm edge. "Tricia, what happened?"

With her shoulders sinking, Tricia finally gave in. A weary sigh escaped her. "Miss Morgan cleared everything out after you were imprisoned. And your old room - it's not yours anymore. It's just a storage room now."

Maia froze. Her eyes grew wide, disbelief settling in. "Everything?" So was the bracelet that Vicki had given her thrown away, too?

A slow, regretful nod from Tricia confirmed what Maia had feared.

The truth hit Maia hard, sudden and brutal, like a lightning strike.

Someone like Rosanna wouldn't have had the guts to toss out her things unless Richard and Sandra were in on it too.

Trembling from head to toe, Maia clenched her fists tight.

That bracelet had been Vicki's last gift to her - a symbol of love in a house that had offered her none.

Anger swelled inside her, fierce and uncontrollable.

She had tried to walk away from the Morgan family, to leave the past buried. But now, all that anger came roaring back.

From behind, a voice she hadn't missed in the slightest cut through the room. "I knew you'd show your face again, Maia!"

Maia turned to look.

Jarrod was there, standing a short distance away, that same smug grin plastered across his face.

Rosanna was by Sandra's side, gripping her arm as if playing the dutiful daughter for the cameras no one could see.

Without saying another word, Tricia slipped out of the room, sensing the tension.

Jarrod closed the space between them, towering slightly over Maia as he looked down with smug contempt.

"You were really bold outside the prison this morning. What's the deal now? Sneaking back in like this? Let me guess. With a record like yours, no one's gonna hire you. So you came crawling back. We're the only ones still willing to throw you a scrap, aren't we?"

With a lifted brow and a voice filled with sarcasm, he said, "Here's a thought - admit everything now. Post a public apology to the Morgan family, and maybe we'll let you stick around out of pity. Sound fair?"

Jarrod had been simmering with rage ever since that morning.

That stunt Maia pulled with the press had bruised the Morgan name, and while he hadn't lashed out then, he was done holding it in.

Now that she had walked straight into their home, he planned to crush whatever defiance she still had left from prison.

Putting Maia in her place felt long overdue, and now that she had returned to the house, Jarrod believed it was his right to set her straight.

An apology, a fresh start, and keeping her distance from Rosanna - that was all it would take for him to consider letting Maia back into the family.

The cost of keeping her around barely made a dent in the Morgan finances. Feeding her and offering shelter was no different from tossing away loose change.

Still, even freeloaders usually had the sense to be polite. A bit of humility wasn't too much to expect. But Maia acted like the world owed her a debt.

That attitude made his blood boil.

When Maia stepped forward, Jarrod lifted a brow and folded his arms, fully expecting her to stop and beg for forgiveness.

Instead, she walked right past him without a single glance, heading straight toward Rosanna.

His smugness vanished in an instant.

Then again, Rosanna was the one Maia had insulted publicly. Maybe this was her way of making things right.

But what came out of Maia's mouth next shattered that assumption. "Where are my things, Rosanna?"

Rosanna stiffened on the spot. A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes before she painted on a look of pure innocence. "What things? Maia, I have no idea what you're going on about."

A cold fire lit up Maia's eyes, the kind that didn't just glare - it cut.

Her stare locked onto Rosanna like a blade, and her tone came out flat, stripped of emotion. "This is the last time I'll ask. Where did you put everything that was in my room?"

Instantly, Rosanna's face crumpled into a pitiful expression, and tears spilled down her cheeks. "I didn't mean anything by it, Maia. I just... I thought they'd wear out if I left them there too long. I figured I'd replace them once you came back, so I-"

Before she could finish, a loud slap cracked through the room, cutting the air like lightning.