Chapter 3

"Go, Noah! Quickly!" Maya whispered, her voice tight with panic.

Noah didn't need telling twice. He put the car in reverse, his tires spitting gravel as he sped away from the service entrance.

Maya risked a glance back. Julian was still standing there, watching them leave, his expression unreadable.

A few hours later, Maya, disguised in a borrowed oversized hoodie and sunglasses, slipped back onto the estate grounds.

She managed to get to Mrs. Peterson, who gave her the promised envelope from Charles and her small bag.

As she was about to leave through a back gate, Julian appeared in the hallway leading to the kitchen.

He was on his phone, discussing business, his voice crisp and authoritative.

He walked right past her, his eyes flicking over her dismissively.

"Tell them the offer is final," he said into his phone, then paused. "And make sure the caterers for tonight are top-notch. Olivia expects perfection."

He didn't recognize her. The disguise, her own terror-fueled invisibility, had worked.

A wave of false relief washed over Maya. His amnesia was her shield.

Back in her small, cold room, Maya prepared to leave for good.

She heard voices from the main drawing-room.

Peeking through a slightly ajar door, she saw them.

Charles and Eleanor Harrison were fawning over Ava Sterling, the "real" heiress.

Olivia Van der Woodsen was there too, laughing, her arm linked possessively through Ava's.

They looked like a happy family, welcoming their long-lost daughter.

Maya was the ghost, the mistake, already erased. A sharp pang of displacement hit her.

Suddenly, Ava, holding a delicate porcelain teacup, "stumbled" near Maya's hiding spot.

The teacup flew from her hand, shattering on the polished floor, splashing tea towards Maya.

"Oh, my goodness!" Ava cried, feigning shock.

It was deliberate. Maya saw the sly glint in Ava's eyes just before the "accident."

This was a setup.

Olivia was instantly at Ava's side.

"You!" Olivia shrieked, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at Maya, who had instinctively stepped back. "You did this! You're still obsessed with Julian, aren't you? Trying to cause trouble!"

Olivia grabbed Maya's arm, her nails digging in. "She's been lurking, I tell you!"

The accusation was outrageous, but delivered with such conviction.

Maya felt a surge of helpless anger.

Ava Sterling, clutching her heart, looked towards the main doorway where Julian had just appeared, drawn by the commotion.

"Julian," Ava said, her voice trembling prettily. "This... this housekeeper... she startled me. I think she resents me being here."

Her words were honey-laced poison, subtly reinforcing Olivia's accusation.

Ava was a quick study in manipulation.

Julian's eyes, cold and hard, fixed on Maya.

He took in her disheveled appearance, the broken porcelain, Olivia's fury, Ava's distress.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, his voice like ice.

Olivia tightened her grip on Maya. "She's a menace, Julian! She deliberately tripped Ava!"

"She's just a clumsy housekeeper," Julian said, his gaze dismissing Maya. "But if she's causing trouble, get rid of her."

He then turned to Ava, his expression softening almost imperceptibly. "Are you alright, Ava?"

His complete indifference to Maya, his swift judgment based on Olivia and Ava's lies, was a fresh torment.

He ordered the head housekeeper, "Take her to the old stables. Lock her in. She needs to learn her place."

Despair washed over Maya. He was condemning her, utterly and coldly.

Mrs. Peterson looked distressed but had to obey.

Olivia, however, stepped forward. "Let me, Julian darling. I know how to handle insubordinate staff."

Julian waved a dismissive hand. "Fine. Just keep her out of sight."

Olivia dragged Maya away, a triumphant smirk on her face.

In the echoing emptiness of the old, disused stables, Olivia unleashed her fury.

She slapped Maya again and again. Kicked her when she fell.

"You thought you could have him?" Olivia hissed, her face contorted with hate. "You're nothing. A nobody."

The blows rained down. Maya tasted blood. Pain exploded behind her eyes.

Maya curled into a ball on the dusty floor, trying to protect herself.

She wouldn't scream. She wouldn't give Olivia the satisfaction.

Olivia's breathing was harsh. "He's mine. He was always mine."

Finally, exhausted, Olivia stepped back.

"You'll stay here until Julian says otherwise."

The heavy stable door slammed shut, plunging Maya into darkness.

She lay there, bruised and aching, until consciousness mercifully faded.