Chapter 12 - An Unlikely Bond
Julian knocked softly on the door of the corporate suite before entering. Maya was sitting on the plush window seat, looking out at the sprawling, illuminated grid of the city. She was wearing a simple cashmere sweater and jeans his staff had procured for her. The harsh red handprint on her cheek had faded into a dull, bruised yellow.
"How are you holding up?" Julian asked, pouring two cups of hot tea and carrying them over to the window.
"It feels like I’m living in a movie," Maya admitted, taking a cup and offering a small, tired smile. "Yesterday I was worrying about making rent and covering my dad's oxygen tanks. Today, I’m drinking artisan tea in a billionaire's fortress while armed guards patrol the hallway."
Julian sat down across from her, his expression softening completely. "I spoke with the hospital administrators an hour ago. Your father has been successfully transferred to the private wing at St. Jude’s Medical Center. He is receiving the best respiratory care in the state, fully funded by my personal trust."
Maya’s breath caught. She looked down at her tea, a tear slipping free and splashing into the hot liquid. "I don't know how to thank you, Mr. Sterling. You didn't have to do that."
"Julian. Please, call me Julian," he insisted gently. "And you saved my life, Maya. If you hadn't knocked that glass away, I would be lying on a coroner's slab right now, and Victoria would be planning a lavish, fake funeral. I owe you a debt I can never truly repay."
"I just did what anyone would have done," Maya whispered.
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"No, you didn't," Julian corrected her, his voice firm and filled with immense respect. "That ballroom was filled with five hundred of the richest, most powerful people in the city. Any one of them would have looked the other way to avoid a scandal. You were the only person brave enough to act. You are remarkable, Maya."
A faint blush crept up her cheeks. For the first time, Julian realized just how incredibly beautiful she was when she wasn't terrified.
