"I bought groceries at an expensive store because my regular place was out of toilet paper. That's literally the only reason I was there."
Alexandre stopped pacing. "What was the name of the store?"
"Henderson's Market. Why?"
"Henderson's Market on Fifth Avenue?"
"Yeah, how did you—"
He looked sharply at her. "That's the store owned by David Kellerman's wife."
The color drained from Maya's face. "You think she rigged the contest?"
"Or someone did. The real question is: were you randomly targeted or just collateral damage?"
Maya abruptly stood. "We need to get out of here. Now."
"Agreed. But the island's on lockdown," Alexandre replied, tone grim.
"Then we don't go through official channels." Maya moved to the balcony door. "How good are you at climbing?"
Alexandre hesitated, then followed her outside. Their seven-floor vantage point revealed decorative balconies and ledges—an impromptu route down.
"You're seriously suggesting—"
"I'm suggesting we have two options. Wait here like sitting ducks or take our chances with gravity."
He looked over the edge. "If we fall—"
"If we stay, we die. If we go, we might die. I prefer might."
He looked at her, eyes narrowing. "There's a third option." Alexandre pulled out his phone. "I can call Marcus; he can send a helicopter."
"Are you sure you can trust him?"
"With my life. I've known Marcus Schneider for fifteen years. He's the only person I trust."
Maya blinked. "Did you just say Marcus?"
"Yes. Why?"
"The security chief here is Marcus Webb."
Alexandre's face darkened. "That's not a coincidence."
"No, it's not."
He dialed, setting his phone on speaker. It rang once before a familiar voice answered.
"Alexandre? Thank God. I've been trying to reach you for hours."
Marcus, I need immediate extraction. I'm at the Sapphire Cove Resort, and I'm in serious trouble."
"I know. I've been watching. David moved faster than expected."
"David? Behind this?"
"Elena and some investors—trying to take over your company. The attack was staged to take you out."
Maya gripped Alexandre's arm. "Ask about the contest."
"Marcus, a woman here won a contest she didn't enter—through Elena Kellerman's store."
There was a pause. "What's her name?"
"Maya Chen."
Another pause, longer this time. "Alexandre, she wasn't random. Maya Chen is the daughter of Dr. Jennifer Chen. The researcher who developed the memory-suppression drug."
Maya's world tilted. "My mom died in a car accident when I was twelve."
"That's what they told you," Marcus's voice was gentle. "But Dr. Chen was murdered because she discovered her research was being misused. Maya, they've watched you your whole life. They've been waiting for the right moment to use you as leverage."
"Leverage for what?"
The world spun beneath Maya's feet. Her breaths became shallow, each inhale sharp and ragged. Memories of soft lullabies whispered warnings, the warmth of her mother's embrace. Suddenly it felt like shadows cast by lies. Her entire childhood, her sense of safety, her very identity were cracked open. Spilling truths too horrifying to grasp all at once.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips, trembling and hollow. Every mundane childhood memory, her father's stiff silence, the locked drawers in her mother's study. The way strangers sometimes stared at her for a scar too faint to notice. It all flashed through her mind. Recast in awful new light.
She let out a shaky laugh, close to tears. "So, my mom didn't die in an accident. My whole life, every bit of safety, every bedtime story, every warning to 'trust nobody'was just… What, a shield against these people?"
"So… everything—the birthday parties, the school plays, the bedtime stories, the way we moved every few years, all her 'business trips'… I thought they were real. My mom wasn't just... gone. She was running, hiding. Trying to keep me safe from them. And I never knew. I never saw it coming." Her voice cracked with despair and fury. "All this time, I was living in a lie."
Alexandre reached out, but Maya flinched, pulling back sharply as tears blurred her vision. "They told me my mom died in a car accident. That she loved me. But she was murdered because she discovered something… I was just a kid kept in the dark. A pawn in their game."
Marcus's voice was softer now, almost gentle, but no less heavy. "You couldn't have known. She did everything she could to hide the truth. Your Mom shielded you. But those people, those monsters they never stopped looking. They've been watching you your whole life. Waiting for the right moment to grab you."
Maya wiped her eyes. A new, cold resolve swept through her. Her voice was wild, trembling with rage and regret. "They want a formula. They've always wanted it. Well, I'm not a pawn anymore. I won't be their weapon. I'll make damn sure they never get what they're after. No matter what's coming."
"Your mother hid the formula for a permanent version of the drug—the kind that can erase memories forever. David needs it to complete his takeover."
Maya sank back into a chair. "I don't know anything about any formula."
"They think you do—or that you can help them find it."
Alexandre moved close to Maya. "Marcus, we need out—now. Can you get us off this island?"
"I'm already en route. But trust no one. The staff, police—they're compromised. Stay hidden until I get there."
"How long?"
"Two hours. Can you hold that long?"
"We will try. We can make it."
Alexandre reached out, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll get out of this."
Despite everything, Maya managed a faint smile. "Damn right we will."
They gathered what little they could—cash, IDs, backup phones. They moved toward the door. Alexandre reached for the handle. Maya grabbed his arm.
"Wait. If they've been watching me my whole life… if they know everything about you too—"
He froze, eyes narrowing. "What are you getting at?"
"What if Marcus calling was part of their plan? What if the security chief isn't who he says he is?"