CHAPTER 5: The Lounge

The business lounge was wrapped in amber light and soft carpet. Adrian stood the moment Maya entered. His expression changed when he saw the tension around her mouth.
"What happened?" he asked.
Maya let the staff member set down her suitcase. "Vanessa Hartwell is at the gate. She recognized me."
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Did she touch you?"
"Only my ticket."
"That is still too much."
Maya touched his sleeve. "Don't make a scene."
"I won't," he said. "But I won't let anyone humiliate you while you're carrying my child."
She sat carefully. A server brought warm tea before she asked. Adrian knelt beside her chair and adjusted the cushion behind her back, ignoring the curious looks from other travelers.
"She thinks I was pretending," Maya said.
"You were surviving."
His phone buzzed. He read the message, and his face cooled.
"Leonard Hartwell just requested an emergency investment meeting in New York," Adrian said. "He wants Cole money to save his company."
Maya looked toward the glass wall, where Vanessa was visible in the hall, speaking quickly into her phone.
"Then maybe," Maya said softly, "it is time they know whose help they are asking for."