Chapter 9

Kieran looked at him and pointed Natasha to him, “There, he is seated there.” Saying that, he disappeared through another door, leaving Maxwell alone with Diane and Natasha. 

Natasha had turned towards him and she was now looking at Maxwell with curiosity, her eyes taking him in with the same careful assessment everyone else had given him today. But unlike the dismissive glances from the people in the lobby, hers lingered with something closer to interest.

She was younger than he'd expected from the voice on the phone last night. Late twenties, maybe. Professional in a way that seemed effortless. She put on a tailored blazer, hair pulled back neatly, minimal jewelry. She carried herself with the kind of confidence that came from working closely with someone powerful.

"Hi, good to meet you Maxwell, finally," she said, walking closer. Her voice was the same one from last night. Smooth, warm. "I'm Natasha. We spoke on the phone."

Maxwell immediately remembered last night, that call, the one he hung up thinking it was a scammer. "Yeah," he said. "You called me." 

"I did." A small smile touched her lips. "You hung up on me."

"I thought you were a scammer." He simply shrugged with no remorse.

"I figured." She didn't seem offended. If anything, she looked amused. "Can't say I blame you. It wasn't exactly a normal phone call."

Maxwell shifted slightly on the couch. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be. Ms. Victoria expected you'd be skeptical." Natasha glanced toward the door Kieran had disappeared through, then back at Maxwell. "How are you feeling? Nervous?"

“Just a little," Maxwell admitted. There was no point lying. She could probably see it on his face.

"That's normal." Her voice softened. "For what it's worth, she's been looking forward to this for a long time. She's... well, you'll see."

Maxwell wasn't sure what to say to that, so he just nodded.

Natasha studied him for another moment, like she was trying to piece something together. 

“Is something wrong?” Maxwell asked, seeing her look. 

“No, I was just thinking of something,” she said. Then she looked towards the hallway Kieran went through and said, “Excuse me,” and she left.

“Sure,” he said, although he found her departure weird. However he didn't think too much of it and just looked out the window. From up here, the city looked different. Smaller. Like something he could reach out and touch.

His leg bounced without him meaning to. He forced it to stop. It was the nerves. He had to tell himself that this was fine. He was fine. In a few minutes, he'd meet Victoria Sterling. Find out if any of this was real. Find out what his father had actually left behind.

Find out if he really was somebody's heir.

The door to the hallway opened at that moment. 

Maxwell glanced up, expecting Kieran. Instead, a man walked in. Late twenties, maybe thirty? He looked the same age range as Maxwell. Tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a suit that probably cost thousands. His hair was styled perfectly, not a strand out of place. He had the kind of face people called handsome, sharp jawline, clear skin, eyes that looked like they'd never worried about rent.

He was carrying a leather folder and talking on his phone.

"No, tell them we're not interested," the man said, his voice commanding and confident. "If they want a meeting, they can send a real proposal, not this half-assed pitch." He paused, listening. "I don't care who their investor is. It's a waste of time."

He walked past Maxwell without looking at him, heading toward Diane's desk.

"Diane, is my mother available?" he asked, still holding the phone to his ear.

"She's finishing a call, Mr. Sterling," Diane said. "She should be done in a few minutes."

Maxwell's gaze got directed towards the man after hearing how Diane addressed him. Mr. Sterling. So this was Victoria's son. Maxwell's... cousin? Did that make them cousins?

The man ended his call and slipped his phone into his pocket. Then as he was about to leave, his eyes landed on Maxwell.

He looked him up and down. Slowly. Taking in the wrinkled shirt, the jeans, the bandage, the scuffed shoes.

His expression didn't change much. Just a slight lift of one eyebrow. Like he was trying to figure out what Maxwell was doing there.

"Diane," the man said, not taking his eyes off Maxwell. "Do we have interviews today?"

"No, Mr. Sterling," Diane said, glancing between them.

"Huh." The man walked closer, stopping a few feet from where Maxwell sat. "Are you waiting for someone?"

Maxwell met his eyes. "Yeah."

"Are you a delivery guy? Brought Pizza?" The man's tone wasn't quite mocking. But it wasn't friendly either. Just... dismissive. Like he'd already decided Maxwell wasn't worth his time.

"No," Maxwell said. He opted from saying a lot, instead letting him guess. 

The guy nodded. "Maintenance, then?"

"No."

The man narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then what are you doing on the executive floor?"

Maxwell could feel the judgment radiating off this guy. The same look he'd gotten his whole life. The same look he'd gotten at Armand's wedding last night.

"I'm meeting with someone," Maxwell said evenly.

"Meeting with who?" The man's eyes narrowed slightly. "Because unless you have an appointment, you shouldn't be here. This floor is restricted."

"I have an appointment."

"With?"

Maxwell hesitated. He didn't know what he was supposed to say. If Victoria wanted people to know about him yet.

The man seemed to take his silence as confirmation that he was lying.

"Look," he said, his voice dropping into that tone rich people used when they were trying to sound reasonable. "I don't know how you got up here, but this isn't the place for... whatever this is. If you need something, reception is on the ground floor. They'll point you in the right direction."

"I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be," Maxwell said.

The man's smile was thin. Not unkind, exactly. Just patronizing. Like he was talking to a child who didn't understand how the world worked.

"I'm sure you think that," he said. "But trust me, you're not. So why don't you….."

The door opened.

Kieran stepped out, his eyes immediately going to the man. "Mr. Sterling. I didn't realize you were here."

"Kieran." The man gestured toward Maxwell. "Want to explain why there's someone sitting in my mother's waiting area who clearly doesn't have an appointment?"

Kieran's expression stayed perfectly neutral. "He does have an appointment. With Ms. Victoria."

The man blinked. "What?"

"Ms. Victoria is expecting him," Kieran said casually. "I just informed her that he's arrived."

The man looked between Kieran and Maxwell, confusion flickering across his face. "Who is he?"

"That's not my place to say," Kieran said. "I'm sure Ms. Victoria will explain when she's ready."

The man stared at Maxwell again, this time with more scrutiny. Like he was trying to solve a puzzle that didn't make sense.

Maxwell stared back.

After a moment, the man said, "Well. I guess I'll find out soon enough." He turned to Kieran. "Tell my mother I need to speak with her when

she's done."

"Of course," Kieran said.

The man gave Maxwell one last look, not hostile, but not friendly either and walked toward the door.

He paused at the threshold and glanced back.

"Word of advice," he said. "If you're here looking for a handout, you're wasting your time. My mother doesn't do charity."

Then he left.

The door clicked shut behind him.

Maxwell let out a slow breath. His hands were clenched into fists in his lap. He forced them to relax. Why would that guy think Maxwell was here for a handout? Apparently even his cousin, who he has just met yet, wasn't so different from everyone else. 

Kieran walked over, his expression apologetic. "I'm sorry about that. Julian doesn't know why you're here. His mother wanted to tell him herself."

Julian. So that was his name. Maxwell noted it. "He's always like that?" Maxwell asked.

Kieran hesitated. "He's... He doesn't mean any harm."

Maxwell nodded. 

"Ms. Victoria is ready for you now," Kieran said gently. "If you'll follow me."

Maxwell stood up. And followed Kieran toward the door, leaving the waiting area behind.

‘Finally going to meet her, huh?’ Maxwell thought to himself, anticipating the conversation he was going to have inside that office.