Chapter 5: Two Meetings in One Day

"Choosing that restaurant shows he's a wealthy man, doesn't it?" Maya said as she drove through the city streets.

"I don’t know, but he certainly seemed like a wealthy man."

"Do we really have to have dinner with him?"

Nina sighed in frustration. "What’s the matter now, Mom?"

"I don’t know, but I still feel like you haven’t told me everything."

Nina exclaimed in exasperation, "I swear I haven’t hidden anything from you. Let me recap what happened: When I was at the café, I was working on some fashion sketches, and there was a man sitting at the table next to mine. He came over and asked if he could see my sketches, so I let him. He liked my designs and told me that, if I was interested, he personally knows the world-famous designer Sonia and could introduce me to her. Of course, I agreed, but he said he wanted my best designs to show Sonia, and that he would be happy if I accepted his dinner invitation tonight and brought the designs with me. Then, as if realizing I was young, he added, 'Of course, you should bring someone from your family.' So, I told him I’d bring my mom."

Maya sighed as she made a turn, saying, "I'm sure he wouldn’t have made the offer if you were unattractive."

"Oh, impossible! He's way too old for me."

"Kirk liked you, and he’s older."

"Kirk isn’t that much older, but this man is really too old for me. I’m sure he’s in his forties."

"We’ll find out soon enough—we’re here." Maya parked the car in one of the restaurant’s spots. Nina opened the door to get out, but Maya placed a hand on her arm to stop her, saying, "Nina, make sure to be polite inside."

Nina replied with doubt, "Have you ever felt embarrassed by me?"

"Don’t be silly; I just want you to be cautious, at least until I understand the man’s intentions."

They both got out of the car and headed to the restaurant, where a waiter greeted them, evidently informed by the man about their arrival. He took their coats and led them to a table at the corner of the restaurant, where Maya received the biggest shock of her life. The man who had approached Nina and invited them to dinner was none other than her arch-enemy, Frederick.

Frederick seemed equally stunned to see her. He stood, astonished, before her, but quickly composed himself, greeted Nina respectfully, and seated her. He then addressed Maya, trying to keep his voice steady, "Hello, my dear. It’s been so long that I don’t even remember the last time I saw you."

Nina, surprised that her mother knew the man, asked, "Mom, do you know him?"

Maya answered coldly, still staring at him, "Unfortunately, yes. And I’d be grateful if we could leave now."

Nina exclaimed in disappointment, "But it’s Sonia!"

"We’ll find other ways to meet her."

Maya stood before him now. He couldn’t believe it. He had known she was in town for about a month—Alex had told him—but he never imagined she would willingly come to him one day. Of course, she hadn’t known who he was, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that she was here, and he had to seize this opportunity to try and mend things with her. He’d be a fool to let her leave without making an attempt, and that’s exactly what he was going to do. He sat down calmly and said, "I doubt you’ll find another way to meet her, because one phone call from me to Sonia, asking her not to meet this girl, will ensure she never does, even if she goes to the moon. I swear it."

Nina pleaded, "Please, Mom! I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever it is, I don’t think it’s worth depriving me of this opportunity. Please! This will be the last thing I ask of you."

Frederick always gets what he wants—Maya remembered hearing her father say that phrase many times. She pulled out a chair and sat down in silence; Frederick still gets what he wants.

Alex entered the restaurant, slightly out of breath. He knew he was late, but what could he have done? His father had returned from a trip today, and he had another flight early the next morning, so he needed to spend some time with him—he hadn’t seen him in a week. What a dilemma. He still wondered how his mother agreed to marry a pilot. He spotted his uncle but stopped before heading to the table, shocked by the guests. Frederick had told him he invited a girl interested in fashion and her mother, so why were Maya and her supposed red-haired daughter there? He took a deep breath; the only way to understand was to join them.

He approached the table, trying not to draw attention, but Nina saw him and asked bluntly, "What are you doing here?"

He smiled and joined them, and before he could speak, Frederick said with a laugh, "I’m the one who asked him to come because I thought we should have a fourth person with us. I can’t talk to two people at once. But now, I think his presence isn’t necessary since, as it’s clear, one of my guests won’t be talking to me at all."

As Frederick spoke, Alex looked at Maya, who seemed completely absent. She hadn’t even glanced at him. He noticed that her eyes had lost their sharpness and now resembled a distant, endless green sea.

Alex smiled when Maya jumped as the waiter, who had been standing behind her, asked for their order. It definitely startled her.

Frederick said cheerfully, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, order whatever you like. Let’s start with Maya."

Maya muttered with disdain, "You don’t seriously think I’ll accept a meal from you, do you?"

Alex quickly interrupted before his uncle could respond, "Of course not. The dinner invitation now shifts from my uncle to me. And since I’m paying the bill, I’ll take the liberty of choosing the food for us." He then told the waiter, "We’ll have the special of the night. Thank you."

The waiter quietly walked away, wondering if the people at that table were in their right minds.

Alex then turned his attention to Nina, admiring her short velvet black dress that matched her red hair, which was pulled up, highlighting the color of her silver contact lenses. Kirk was right to be smitten by her. He then looked at Maya, who wore a simple, elegant white dress that complemented her loose hair falling to her shoulders. He commented, "You both look stunning, and the contrast between the black and white only adds to your charm."

Nina replied happily, "Thank you! I knew—"

"What a coincidence! I was having dinner with my parents when I spotted you," Bob interrupted as he pulled a chair from another table and sat next to Alex. Then he addressed Nina, "How’s the beautiful daughter?"

Frederick said skeptically, "Hey…don’t tell me you both actually believed that Nina is Maya’s daughter."

Alex calmly replied, "I bet everything I own this afternoon that she isn’t."

Frederick smiled as the waiter served their dinner plates. "You’re as smart as your uncle. Well, do you know who she is?"

Bob responded, "Other than her being her daughter, no."

Taking a bite of his steak, Frederick said, "She’s Madeleine’s half-sister. In other words, she’s Maya’s mother’s sister. In even simpler terms, she’s Maya’s aunt."

The shock was clear on Alex and Bob’s faces, but Nina was the most stunned as she asked eagerly, "How do you know all that when I don’t even know your name?"

"Really, now you want to know my name? Don’t you think you’re a bit late?"

"Late? What do you mean?"

Maya looked at Frederick, surprised by his angry tone as he continued, addressing Nina, "You let a strange man sit with you and watch what you’re doing, you tell him your name, you don’t ask who he is or at least what his name is, and what’s worse, you don’t mind going out with him." Then he turned to Maya and said, "Did you know she asked me to take her to Sonia right then? She didn’t mind getting into the car of a man whose name she didn’t even know?"

"Frederick," Alex whispered, asking him to stop talking, because although Maya’s face showed no emotion, Nina’s face had turned pale, and her lips began to tremble.

Frederick ignored Alex and continued, "What if I were lying? She’s a stunning girl—what if I was lying to kidnap her and harm her?"

Bob didn’t understand what was happening. How had the atmosphere turned like this? He knew Alex’s uncle was a great man, so what happened? Why was he scolding the girl so harshly? Bob wanted to say something to change the conversation, but he couldn’t because Frederick continued addressing Nina, saying, "Do you know why I asked you to bring someone from your family? Because I wanted them to see how selfish and naive you are, how you never think twice, or even think at all, when it comes to satisfying a desire of yours. I wanted your family to know the truth about you."

Maya closed her eyes when she felt Nina’s cold, trembling fingers grasping her hand under the table. So, Frederick had successfully shattered her daughter without realizing she was her most sensitive nerve. He would definitely pay for this. Maya heard Nina say in a low voice, "Let’s go home."

Maya smiled at her coldly and replied, "I’m sorry, darling, but that’s no longer an option, especially since I feel like talking, and the evening is still young." Then she turned to Bob and asked, "Do you know my father, Bob?"

"No, but I know he was an officer in the Narcotics Unit with Frederick."

"Do you know who killed him?"

Bob hesitated before answering, "The drug dealer Madoff, but there’s no evidence of it."

Maya replied confidently, "Of course, there wouldn’t be any evidence. Madoff is a smart businessman who doesn’t get his hands dirty in broad daylight." She paused briefly, then added while looking at Frederick, "Well, Bob, I’m sure you don’t know the details of the night my father was killed, do you?"

Alex pressed his forehead hard. He knew what she was going to say, but why? He had to admit he didn’t understand how this woman’s mind worked. He heard Bob reply, "No, I don’t."

Maya smiled slyly. "You’re in luck, Bob. There’s someone among us who knows all the details because he was there that night, right, Frederick? So why don’t you tell us what happened? And know that I want the truth, not the lies you wrote in your report in the case file."

Frederick stood up angrily, his face dark with rage, but Maya addressed him, "Be a man, Frederick, and sit down. You just said some awful things to a girl half your age, and yet she was strong enough to listen to you until the end. So, since I know you’re not a man, I’ll ask you to be a girl like her and sit down."

Frederick’s voice was hoarse as he sat back down, not caring about her insult. "Your father’s death was a technical mistake."

Maya clenched her fists under the table, her eyes turning red, and she said through gritted teeth, "How dare you say that lie in front of me?"

Bob cursed himself internally for his curiosity and for joining them, then nudged Alex gently and asked in a low voice, "Hey, what’s going on?"

Frederick seemed desperate to speak. "The information we received indicated that a shipment was arriving at the port and that Madoff and only three men would be picking it up. So, Van—her father—and I decided there was no need for backup because we didn’t want Madoff to suspect anything, especially since it was the first time he was personally picking up a drug shipment. Anyway, Van’s mission was to arrest Madoff or photograph him or get any evidence that he was involved in drugs. My mission was to cover him and alert him if anything went wrong using the earpiece he was wearing." He swallowed hard, which affected Alex, then continued, "Unfortunately, what we didn’t know was that everything that day was a setup by Madoff. He leaked that information to trap us, and we fell for it. I saw Madoff on the roof of a building, aiming a sniper rifle at Van while he was inspecting one of the warehouses. I… I tried to warn him through the earpiece, but it seemed the earpiece was malfunctioning because he didn’t hear me. I tried calling him repeatedly, but it was no use, so I started running toward his location, but I… I was too late… Madoff killed him."

Maya replied in a cold voice, "You forgot the most important part, which is that you were part of Madoff’s plan because the earpiece test report says it was one hundred percent functional—"

Frederick shouted, standing up, "Shut up… I know that, and that’s what makes it hurt more. Why would an earpiece stop working when someone is alive, only to start working again when they die?"

Maya laughed bitterly, saying loudly, "That’s because you’re lying. That’s because you didn’t warn him. That’s because you wanted him dead."

Frederick was already standing, so all he needed to do was extend his hand to slap her hard. The people at the surrounding tables had stopped eating since their voices started rising, but the sound of the slap that echoed through the restaurant caused gasps to rise, further embarrassing Frederick, who stormed out in anger without saying a word.

After a minute of silence, Maya said in a hoarse voice, "Do you have a pen, Bob?"

Without thinking, Bob reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a pen, and handed it to her. She took a napkin from the table, wrote something on it, and then gave it to him along with the pen, saying, "I want you to take Nina home. I’ve written the address for you."

Bob took the napkin and pen, muttering, "Of course."

Nina protested, still trembling from the evening’s events, "I’ll stay with you."

Maya smiled at her coldly and said, "I won’t be long. I just need some time alone. Go."

Bob stood up and helped Nina to her feet, and they walked out together. After they left, Maya also stood up and said to Alex without looking at him, "Thanks for the dinner, Alexander," then walked out.

Alex watched her until she disappeared from view, then looked at the four dinner plates that had barely been touched and said, "No thanks needed."