Chapter 70: Kelvin Confronts Maya

Kelvin’s POV

"Three days to decide whether you wish to settle the matter on the terms she has proposed," he clarified.

I stared at them for several seconds before finally picking up the documents. "Fine. Leave them."

The older lawyer nodded. "We will expect your response within the stated period."

The two men stood, gathered their belongings, and offered me polite nods before leaving my office.

The moment the door closed behind them, I dropped the documents onto my desk.

I stood there in silence, staring at the papers.

Three per cent.

Emerald wanted three per cent of Mercer Technologies. But that wasn’t the only thing bothering me.

My account had been used to make payments to people connected to the evidence against her.

If I truly hadn’t authorised those transactions, then someone had used me without my knowledge.

And there was only one person whose name kept appearing in all of this.

Maya.

I looked at my phone sitting on the desk. For the first time, I didn’t feel like calling her simply to ask what had happened.

I wanted answers. I wanted to know what she had done.

And more importantly, I wanted to know how much she had kept from me.

I picked up the phone and stared at her name on the screen. My jaw tightened. "What have you done, Maya?"

---

By the time I returned to the apartment, I was already exhausted.

The documents from the Hugo lawyers were still on my mind, especially the financial records that showed money leaving my account and ending up in the hands of people connected to the evidence used against Emerald.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

I had barely taken two steps when Maya appeared from the living room with a bright smile on her face.

"There you are." She walked toward me, looking unusually cheerful. "I’ve been waiting for you."

I forced myself to look at her normally. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened." She smiled wider. "Come and see something."

Before I could ask what she meant, she reached for my hand and pulled me toward the sofa.

"I was looking at wedding jewellery earlier, and I found some beautiful pieces," she said as she picked up her phone and began scrolling through several pictures. "I’ve been trying to decide what I want. Look at this necklace."

Then she turned the phone toward me. I glanced at the picture and commented lightly, "It’s beautiful."

"I knew you would like it."

I said nothing this time, so she went ahead to swipe to another picture. "And this set is even more beautiful. The earrings match the necklace perfectly. I was thinking I could order them this week, but I wanted you to see them first."

I locked my gaze on her face. "You want to order them this week?"

"Of course." She smiled. "Our wedding is coming up. I don’t want to leave everything until the last minute."

Then she continued to show me different designs, talking about diamonds, settings, and which pieces would look better with her wedding dress.

Normally, I would have listened. Today, however, every word seemed to irritate me.

Three per cent. That number kept returning to my mind. Three per cent of Mercer Technologies.

While Maya was sitting beside me happily choosing jewellery for our wedding, Emerald’s lawyers had given me three days to decide whether I was willing to surrender part of the company in exchange for ending the lawsuits.

I shifted my attention to Maya again. She was still smiling.

"Which one do you like?" she asked.

I realised I hadn’t been listening. "What?"

She laughed softly. "You weren’t paying attention."

"I was." I lied.

She shook her head. "No, you weren’t." Right then, she leaned closer and showed me the phone again. "This one. I like this one the most."

I studied the picture for a moment. "It looks good."

Her smile returned. "I knew you would agree."

She continued scrolling.

I kept silent. The contrast between her mood and mine was becoming difficult to ignore.

She was contemplating wedding jewellery, while I was thinking about the evidence—bank transactions, Emerald, and three per cent of my company.

Eventually, Maya looked up from her phone. "Kelvin."

"Yes?" I met her gaze.

"You’re unusually quiet."

"I’ve had a long day," I replied.

She studied my face for a few seconds before asking, "Did something happen at the company?"

I looked away. "Not exactly."

"Then what is it?"

I didn’t answer immediately, so she lowered the phone onto her lap. "Is something wrong?" she inquired.

I looked back at her. "Tell me, how have things been since the wedding?"

She frowned slightly. "Since the wedding?"

"Yes."

"Fine." She gave a small shrug. "Why are you asking?" ℯℯ𝑙.

"I’m just asking."

She smiled faintly. "Everything has been fine. Why?"

I leaned back against the sofa. "Have you spoken to anyone unusual recently?"

Her expression changed for only a fraction of a second. "Anyone unusual?"

"Yes." I nodded.

She thought about it then said, "No. Not that I can remember."

I watched her carefully. "Are you sure?"

"Kelvin, what is this about?" A small frown had appeared on her face.

I ignored the question and interrogated. "Do you remember the people who helped us during the situation with Emerald?"

Her eyes narrowed. "What people?"

"The people who handled some of the materials."

She was silent for a moment. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

I held her gaze. "Interesting."

"What is interesting?"

I reached into my briefcase and removed the folder the Hugo lawyers had left with me. Then I placed it on the table between us.

Maya looked at it. "What is that?"

"Documents."

"From where?"

"The Hugo lawyers."

Her smile disappeared instantly.

I opened the folder and took out the first few pages. "Maya, there are several people whose names appear in these documents."

She stared at the papers.

I watched her face carefully. "These people were connected to the doctored material that was used against Emerald."

She didn’t say anything.

I placed another document beside the first. "And apparently, some of them received payments from my account."

Her eyes moved toward the document. "What?"

I leaned back. "That was my reaction too."

She looked at me. "I don’t understand."

"Neither do I." Then I tapped the transaction records with my finger. "These payments were made from my account. I didn’t authorise them."

Maya’s face had become noticeably pale, which I observed, but I chose not to comment. Instead, I asked quietly, "Do you know any of these people?"

She looked back at the documents. "No."

The answer came too fast. I studied her face. "You’re sure?"

"Yes." She nodded.

I closed the folder. "Then we have a problem."

She stared at me nervously. "What problem?"

I looked directly into her eyes. "Because the lawyers seem to think you know more about this than you’re telling me."