Chapter 4 - The Invitation to Ardenmere
Maya agreed to the trip.
Daniel mistook her silence for obedience.
In reality, she spent the next two days working with Sofia and Ardenmere’s general manager, Adrian Cole. They reviewed security footage from Maya’s London residence and discovered Daniel entering her office while she was away.
A second recording showed Eleanor photographing documents with her phone.
Maya watched the footage twice.
She did not cry.
Some betrayals were too complete for tears.
Sofia advised Maya to cancel the weekend and file an immediate report. Maya refused.
“I need to know how far they planned to go.”
“You already know enough.”
“I know they copied the title. I don’t know who helped them or what they intend to sign.”
Adrian arranged for Maya’s arrival to appear ordinary. Most resort staff had never met the owner in person. Only senior management and long-serving employees knew her face.
Daniel believed Ardenmere belonged to a European investment trust controlled by an elderly family.
The family left London on Friday morning in two cars.
Eleanor spent most of the journey describing how she would redesign the resort once Vale Architectural Group secured the contract. She wanted modern glass extensions, private villas, and a members-only casino.
Maya listened from the back seat.
Ardenmere had been built around a nineteenth-century coastal estate. Her grandmother had protected its gardens, employed families from the surrounding village, and rejected developments that would damage the cliffs.
Eleanor spoke of it as though it were an object waiting to be stripped and sold.
At lunch, they stopped at a private restaurant overlooking the sea.
Daniel disappeared with Charles for nearly twenty minutes. When he returned, Maya saw the edge of a legal document inside his briefcase.
“Who were you meeting?” she asked.
“An investor.”
“Here?”
“He happened to be nearby.”
Eleanor interrupted.
“Must every conversation become an interrogation?”
Maya placed her napkin beside her plate.
“I asked my husband a question.”
“And he answered.”
“No. He avoided answering.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“Not now, Maya.”
Eleanor lifted her wineglass.
“This weekend is important. You will not ruin it with one of your emotional episodes.”
Maya looked directly at her.
“I don’t have emotional episodes.”
“Of course you do. You become quiet, then force everyone to notice you.”
Charles laughed.
Daniel said nothing.
Eleanor leaned closer.
“You should be grateful Daniel included you. Ardenmere is not the kind of place that normally welcomes women with your background.”
Maya almost admired the confidence of the insult.
“What do you believe my background is?”
“A minor consultant with no family influence and very little money.”
Daniel finally spoke.
“Mother, that’s enough.”
But his tone held no anger. It was the weary voice of a man asking someone to lower the volume, not stop the cruelty.
Maya smiled faintly.
“You may be surprised by what Ardenmere welcomes.”
May you like
Daniel misunderstood her expression.
He thought she had surrendered.
