Chapter 20
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Elias Thorne did not wait long to escalate his tactics. Two days after the fundraiser, Maya received a formal, courier-delivered envelope at her independent consulting firm. I was sitting in her office, sipping a cup of herbal tea, when she sliced the thick paper open with a silver letter opener.
She read the single page inside, her expression hardening into absolute stone.
"What is it?" I asked, setting my teacup down.
"It’s not a lawsuit," Maya said, handing the paper across the desk to me. "It’s a notice of property acquisition. Elias Thorne’s private equity consortium just purchased the commercial mortgage for this entire office building."
I scanned the document. It was a ruthless, incredibly expensive power play. By buying the building, Elias had effectively become Maya’s landlord. He was closing the physical distance, trying to surround her with his influence, mirroring the suffocating control Julian used to exert.
"He is trying to trigger your trauma," I observed quietly. "He wants you to feel trapped in a space you thought was safe."
Maya stood up and walked to the large window overlooking the city street below. She watched the traffic moving in a steady, unbothered rhythm.
"When Genevieve struck me, I felt trapped," Maya said softly, tracing the glass with her fingertip. "When Julian locked my trust and controlled my movements, I felt trapped. But I am not a child anymore, and I am not financially dependent on a corrupt patriarch."
"What are you going to do?" I asked, deeply proud of the fierce resilience radiating from my daughter.
"I am going to call his bluff," Maya replied, turning back to her desk. She picked up her phone and dialed the number on Elias’s business card. "I will agree to his private meeting. But I am not going to his territory, and I am not going alone."
She put the phone on speaker as the line connected.
"Maya," Elias’s smooth voice echoed in the office. "I trust you received my notice."
May you like
"I did," Maya said firmly. "We will meet tomorrow at 10:00 AM. In the conference room of my legal counsel’s office. Bring the original contract. If you refuse, my next call is to the federal prosecutor’s office for extortion."
Elias chuckled softly. "I will be there. I look forward to it."
