Chapter 8 - The Uninvited Guest
The wedding reception ended at midnight in a shower of sparklers and cheering guests as Caroline and Daniel drove off into the night.
The kitchen staff spent the next two hours cleaning down the stations, laughing, and celebrating their massive victory with cold beers and leftover buttermilk biscuits.
By 2:30 AM, Maya had finished writing the shift log and walked out toward the main entrance of Reed House.
The night air was calm, the street quiet.
As Maya stepped onto the front stone porch, a dark shadow stepped out from behind one of the heavy white columns.
"Well, well, well. Look at the street hero."
Maya gasped, jumping back.
Standing in the dim light of the porch lantern was Celeste Vance.
She looked unhinged. Her expensive hair was messy, her eyes bloodshot, and she reeked of cheap gin. She held a heavy leather handbag tightly under her arm, her knuckles white.
"Celeste?" Maya said, taking a cautious step back toward the locked heavy front door. "What are you doing here? You aren't allowed on the property."
"I built this kitchen!" Celeste spat out, stepping closer, her voice shrill and trembling with rage. "I spent five years building Reed House’s reputation! And you... a dirty little prep cook who smells like cheap onions... took everything from me in three days!"
"You destroyed yourself, Celeste," Maya said firmly, trying to keep her voice calm. "You tried to poison a client's meal to protect your ego. You brought this on yourself."
"I made one mistake!" Celeste screamed. "And Lucas threw me away like garbage! He replaced me with you! Do you really think he cares about you, Maya? Do you really think a billionaire hospitality heir cares about a penniless girl from rural Georgia?!"
"Lucas respects my talent," Maya said proudly. "Something you never had."
That was the breaking point.
Celeste dropped her handbag, reached into her coat pocket, and pulled out a small glass bottle filled with a dark, steaming chemical liquid—industrial kitchen oven degreaser, a harsh chemical that burned skin on contact.
"Let's see how much he respects your talent when your hands and face are burned!" Celeste shrieked, raising her arm to hurl the dangerous chemical directly at Maya’s face.
Maya closed her eyes and raised her arms to protect herself.
"Maya, watch out!"
A heavy body slammed into Celeste from the side, knocking her hard against the stone pillar. The glass bottle shattered against the brick steps, the chemical sizzling harmlessly against the stone.
Maya opened her eyes.
Lucas was there.
He pinned Celeste against the column, his face dark with terrifying rage as he held her arms down. Marcus, the security chief, rushed up the steps behind him, immediately placing steel handcuffs around Celeste’s wrists.
"Get her off my property," Lucas growled through gritted teeth, his breath heavy. "And call the police. She is going to prison for attempted assault with a deadly substance."
Celeste screamed and cursed as Marcus dragged her away down the driveway toward the waiting security patrol car.
Lucas turned around instantly, grabbing Maya’s shoulders with shaking hands, his dark eyes frantic with worry.
"Did it touch you?!" Lucas demanded, his voice cracking with fear. "Maya, look at me! Are you hurt?!"
"I'm fine... I'm okay," Maya whispered, trembling from the sudden shock of adrenaline. "You stopped her in time."
Without another word, Lucas pulled her tight into his arms, wrapping his broad arms around her, burying his face into her hair. Maya could feel his heart hammering wildly against his chest.
May you like
"I saw her on the security feed coming up the driveway," Lucas murmured against her hair, his touch fiercely protective. "If she had hurt you... I would have burned the world down, Maya."
Maya closed her eyes, resting her head against his warm chest, feeling safe in his arms.
