The estate's private medical room was sterile and quiet, far away from the chaotic main foyer[cite: 1].
A doctor carefully wrapped sterile white bandages around Maya's palms while Julian paced near the window[cite: 1].
Noah sat on the edge of the examination table, refusing to let go of Maya’s arm[cite: 1].
Doctor: "The cuts are clean, General Vance... I mean, Mr. Vance. No glass stayed inside the skin."[cite: 1]
Maya: "Thank you, doctor."[cite: 1]
Julian: "Leave us, Dr. Evans. Keep a security detail outside this door."[cite: 1]
Doctor: "Yes, sir."[cite: 1]
As the door clicked shut, Julian walked over and pulled up a chair across from Maya[cite: 1].
Julian: "What is your full name?"[cite: 1]
Maya: "Maya... Maya Lin, sir. I'm just a temporary staff member hired through the catering agency."[cite: 1]
Julian: "You dove onto solid marble to save a child you don't even know, Maya. That's not 'just' anything."[cite: 1]
Maya: "Any decent person would have done the same thing."[cite: 1]
Julian: "Not in my world. In my world, people push glass towers onto children for inheritance money."[cite: 1]
Noah: "Dad, is Uncle Dominic a bad guy?"[cite: 1]
Julian: "Yes, Noah. He is very dangerous, and you are never to go near him again."[cite: 1]
Noah: "Can Maya stay with us? She protected me!"[cite: 1]
Julian looked closely at Maya, taking in her calm demeanor despite her bloodstained server vest[cite: 1].
Julian: "Maya, how much does the catering agency pay you per hour?"[cite: 1]
Maya: "Twenty-five dollars an hour, sir."[cite: 1]
Julian: "I'll pay you ten thousand dollars a week to become Noah's private head guardian starting tonight."[cite: 1]
Maya stared at him in complete disbelief, her jaw dropping slightly[cite: 1].
Maya: "Ten thousand... a week? Sir, I'm not a trained bodyguard!"[cite: 1]
Julian: "You have better instincts than my entire security team. They were watching the perimeter while my brother targeted my son."[cite: 1]
Maya: "I don't know if I can accept that kind of money..."[cite: 1]
Julian: "My late wife died under mysterious circumstances two years ago, Maya. I can't lose Noah too."[cite: 1]
Maya saw the deep, raw pain in Julian's eyes and felt her heart soften[cite: 1].
Maya: "Your wife... died here?"[cite: 1]
Julian: "Her car went off the cliff near the estate. The brakes failed. I always suspected Dominic, but I never had proof."[cite: 1]
Maya: "And if he takes over the board meeting tomorrow..."[cite: 1]
Julian: "If he gets fifty-one percent of the board votes, he gains full control of the estate, the trust fund, and Noah's legal custody."[cite: 1]
Noah: "Please stay, Maya! I'm scared!"[cite: 1]
Maya looked at the little boy's tearful face, then back at Julian[cite: 1].
Maya: "Alright. I'll stay. But under one condition."[cite: 1]
Julian: "Name it."[cite: 1]
Maya: "You let me help you find the evidence to destroy your brother once and for all."[cite: 1]