CHAPTER 5

Maya’s POV

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

I froze at the sound of Ray’s voice, his words slicing through the tense air like a blade. My hand was still hovering near the door handle, and the moment I heard him speak, my whole body went rigid.

I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t prepared to face him again.

"Ms. Collins," Ray’s voice was colder than ever, his tone laced with a warning. I could feel his eyes on me, even though I hadn’t turned around to look. "Do you have something to explain to me?"

I swallowed hard, my heart racing in my chest. My mind screamed at me to think of something, anything, to cover the mess I’d found myself in. But nothing came. I was cornered.

Stepping into the room, I tried to appear calm, despite the tremor in my legs. “Mr. Cole, I... I left my phone here earlier.”

Ray didn’t even acknowledge my apology. His gaze remained fixed on the screen of my phone, his fingers dancing across it with deliberate slowness. I was too afraid to move, too afraid of what he might say next.

Without a word, Ray tossed the phone back onto the desk and gave me a look that sent a chill straight to my bones. "Anything you’d like to tell me, Ms. Collins?"

I felt my breath catch in my throat, panic rising like a tide I couldn’t escape. My eyes flicked to the screen of my phone, where I saw Lana’s latest text staring back at me:

“What’s taking you so long? Did Mr. Cole catch you…”

I froze. That was all it took.

My pulse thundered in my ears as I tried to steady my racing heart. Ray had seen the message. He knew I was hiding something. I couldn’t breathe. Every nerve in my body screamed for me to escape, but I was rooted to the spot.

Ray’s gaze never wavered. “What did you do that would make me ‘catch you,’ Maya?”

His voice was low and threatening, his words wrapping around me like a noose. I could hardly breathe. My mind raced, desperately scrambling to come up with an answer, any answer that wouldn’t send my life spiraling out of control.

“Nothing, Mr. Cole,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Nothing at all.”

I could feel the sweat trickling down my back, the weight of Ray’s stare bearing down on me. He wasn’t buying it. Not for a second. The silence stretched on, thick and suffocating.

“Then why are you so nervous?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.

I swallowed. "I’m sorry, Mr. Cole. I didn’t mean to…"

His sharp gaze softened for a fleeting moment, but the relief I felt was quickly swallowed by his next words.

“You’ve always been a dutiful employee. Why the sudden apology?”

I flinched. His compliment felt like an accusation. Ray was rarely complimentary, and the way he said it—like a judgment passed on a guilty person—made my insides twist with dread.

“I’ve always been focused on my work, Mr. Cole,” I managed to say, forcing myself to hold his gaze. My palms were sweating, my breath coming in quick bursts. “I swear, I’ve never let anything interfere with the company’s business.”

I could barely hear my own voice over the pounding of my heart. My mind was a mess of thoughts, all of them running in different directions. I couldn’t focus, couldn’t think clearly. My phone buzzed again.

“Say something. Does Mr. Cole know?”

The text from Lana only made things worse. It was like a reminder that I was about to lose everything, and Lana had no idea how close I was to falling apart.

I couldn’t handle the pressure anymore. My thoughts spun as I stood there, too terrified to speak. My voice was barely a whisper when I finally managed to speak.

“I—I have a part-time job. On my days off.”

Ray’s eyebrow arched, his expression unreadable. “What?”

His confusion was the last thing I expected. I had thought he would lash out, but instead, he looked at me as if I had just given him an answer that made no sense at all. For a moment, I wondered if I had imagined his anger or if my fear had exaggerated it.

“I paint,” I said quickly, the words tumbling out. “Relief paintings. It’s a hobby, something I do in my spare time. It’s nothing that affects my work at the company.”

Ray stood silent for a moment, the tension in the air so thick I could almost touch it. Finally, he spoke, his voice still cold but less hostile.

“Part-time job?” His voice was laced with suspicion. “You’ve been hiding this from me?”

“I didn’t want it to interfere with my work,” I said, lowering my head, feeling a knot tighten in my stomach. “I promise it’s not related to the company’s interests. I’ve always put my responsibilities here first.”

Ray said nothing for a long moment, his eyes scanning me carefully, as if weighing my words. I stood there, waiting, praying he would let this go.

Finally, he spoke, his voice cutting through the silence.

“You should’ve mentioned this sooner,” he said, his tone matter-of-fact. “It’s a company policy. Employees aren’t supposed to have side jobs.”

I blinked, startled. “It is?”

Ray nodded, as if this was common knowledge. “I’ll let it slide this time. But if this gets out, it’ll be dealt with.”

I nodded, relief flooding through me, but it didn’t last long. As much as he had let it slide, I knew I had just narrowly escaped a much worse fate.

“Is there anything else, Mr. Cole?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

He looked at me one last time, his expression unreadable. “Not today. But you’re on thin ice, Ms. Collins.”

I nodded, the words sinking into my chest like a stone. “Yes, Mr. Cole.”

I turned quickly, eager to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the office. But as I left, a lingering sense of dread followed me, gnawing at the edges of my thoughts. Ray had let me off easy this time, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before he found another way to test me, another way to remind me of the power he held over my future.

I couldn’t afford to make another mistake.