Chapter 8: The Unexpected Rescue

Maya's eyes fluttered open to her white ceiling

She blinked, sitting up slowly against the headboard as a dull ache pulsed behind her temples. "Ugh.." she muttered, pressing her palm to her forehead.

On the nightstand sat a steaming cup of hangover tea and a small note stuck to the side of it.

She leaned forward to read.

Drink up and rest today.

A faint smile tugged at her lips. It was Axel. Of course. But where was he?

Swinging her legs off the bed, she called out, "Axel?"

No response.

She sighed, about to get up, when her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She grabbed it and swiped to answer.

"Ma'am Maya!" her assistant's voice came through, breathless. "Madam Dubois called, you're still not at the hotel for your lunch meeting!"

"Lunch meeting?" Maya repeated blankly, trying to piece her foggy memory together. Then it hit her.

"Oh, shit. I forgot." She rubbed her forehead "Tell her I'm on my way"

"Yes, ma'am"

The call ended. Maya glanced at the clock. 12:04 p.m.

"How did I sleep this long?" she muttered under her breath, swinging her legs out of bed.

Within twenty minutes, she was showered, dressed, and behind the wheel, speeding down the expressway toward the hotel.

******^******

Hours later, Maya stepped out of the private restaurant beside Madam Dubois. The two women were laughing

"Those designs you showed me were incredible" Madam Dubois said, smiling warmly. "And I must say.

Having lunch with you was a delight."

"Thank you, Madam Dubois" Maya replied. "I hope we can do this again soon”

"Definitely." The older woman nodded, just as her bodyguard approached.

"It's time to go," he said quietly.

Madam Dubois turned back to Maya. "I will see you soon, my dear"

Maya smiled and nodded "Have a safe trip"

As Madam Dubois and her guard disappeared down another hallway, Maya exhaled softly, ready to leave.

But as she approached the elevator, movement caught her eye.

From the opposite elevator stepped Venessa—with a man old enough to be her father. His arm was draped firmly around her waist; her hand rested on his shoulder. They were laughing, whispering, far too close.

Venessa didn't even see her.

But Maya saw enough.

She shook her head faintly, disgust flickering across her face. A cheap actress indeed.

With a low sigh, she entered her elevator and rode down to the lobby.

Outside, Maya was just about to enter her car when a muffled thump

caught her attention.

She froze.

Inside a parked vehicle nearby, a little boy was crying, his small fist pounding weakly against the window as silent sobs shook his body

The windows were shut tight, fogging up from the heat

"Oh my God"

Panic gripped her chest. She ran to the car and pulled the handle. It was locked. The child's cries grew weaker.

"Help! Someone help!" Maya shouted. Within seconds, two hotel security guards came running.

"The door won't open!" one said, tugging the handle uselessly.

Maya's gaze darted around until she spotted a wooden plank around the area. She grabbed it

"Move!" she shouted to the guards, then turned to the boy. "Sweetheart, move back, okay? Move away from the glass!"

But he was too panicked to understand. His cries were fading.

Maya didn't wait another second. She swung the plank against the front passenger window with all her strength.

CRASH.

The glass shattered, scattering across the pavement. Hot air rushed out and boy had gone limp.

"No, no, no.." Maya reached in carefully and pulled him out, cradling his small, overheated body in her

arms.

She turned to the guards, her voice sharp despite the tremor in it "Find the boy's parents. Or the owner of this car, tell them to meet me at City First Hospital"

They nodded, already dialing numbers as Maya hurried to her car. She laid the child gently in the backseat and sped off, her heart racing faster than the tires on the road.

*******^******

At the hospital, nurses rushed to her side the moment she burst through the doors.

"He was trapped in a car," she explained quickly. The nurses took him onto a trolley and disappeared into a treatment room.

Maya paced outside, hands trembling slightly.Finally, the doctor emerged.

"Are you his mother?" the doctor asked.

Maya opened her mouth to answer, but voices cut through the corridor.

"We're the parents of the boy who was brought in!"

Maya turned and froze.

It was Noah and beside him... Venessa.

Her heart dropped to her stomach. Were they his parents?

The doctor's brows furrowed "You two need to be more careful. The child almost died of suffocation!

Luckily," she added, glancing at Maya, "this lady brought him in on time. Otherwise, the worst might have happened”

Noah's eyes softened with shock and gratitude. Venessa, on the other hand, couldn't even meet her gaze.

"You can go see him now," the doctor said before walking away.

Noah rushed inside immediately. But before Venessa could follow, Maya caught her wrist and pulled her back.

"What kind of mother are you?" Maya's voice was low, yet cold.

Venessa jerked free "Just because you saved my son doesn't mean you can question me!"

"You still have the nerve to talk?" Maya shot back "You left your child locked in a car while you were enjoying yourself in the hotel with a man twice your age."

Venessa's eyes widened. "What…what rubbish are you saying?" she stammered.

"Rubbish?" Maya scoffed. "Don't make me show proof"

That word proof made Venessa's face pale.

Noah appeared at the doorway, his gaze darting between them. "What proof?" he asked

Venessa let out a brittle laugh, stepping toward him. "It's nothing," she said quickly. "She was just warning me... about children suffocating in cars. Right, Maya?"