Chapter 2: The $120M Inheritance & The First Slap

In her past life, Maya had spent three full years lowering her head, cooking, cleaning, and handing over every spare penny she earned to satisfy Adrian’s parasitic family. She had thought modesty and submission would earn her love. It had only earned her a push into a pack of hungry monsters.

Not anymore.

The grand marble archways of the Grand Sovereign Hotel glistened under warm crystal chandeliers. It was the premier venue in Sector 4, where corporate tycoons and high-society elites gathered to negotiate multi-million-dollar deals over vintage champagne.

Maya glided through the revolving glass doors, her heels clicking rhythmically against the polished stone. She wore a tailored white wool coat over a simple black dress—outfits she had bought years ago and kept tucked away for special occasions. The emerald jade ring hung heavily against her collarbone beneath her coat, pulsing with a faint, reassuring warmth.

At a private corner table in the lounge sat three men in immaculate charcoal suits. The head executor of Vance Legal, Arthur Sterling, stood up immediately as Maya approached. His sharp, gray eyes narrowed slightly as he took in her posture—straight, proud, and completely unbothered by the opulent surroundings.

"Miss Vance?" Arthur asked, his tone cautious yet respectful.

"Mr. Sterling," Maya replied smoothly, taking a seat opposite him. "I believe your office verified my lineage records twenty minutes ago."

"We did," Arthur said, reaching into his leather briefcase to pull out a thick stack of legal documents and an encrypted biometric tablet. "When your biological parents passed, they placed their entire liquidated holdings into an offshore trust. The terms were absolute: the inheritance remains untouched until the heir presents the green jade signet ring and passes the DNA verification test."

Maya didn't waste words. She reached beneath her collar, unclasped the silver chain, and placed the deep green jade ring onto the plush velvet cloth on the table.

Arthur’s breath hitched. He carefully picked up the ring, examining the faint, intricate dragon crest carved deep into the inner band. He placed it onto the digital scanner attached to his tablet. A soft blue light swept over the stone, followed by a crisp chime:

[IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMED: VANCE FAMILY SIGNET RING]

[HEIR: MAYA VANCE]

"Remarkable," Arthur whispered, his professional composure cracking for a fraction of a second. "The Vance Estate holds a net liquid balance of one hundred and twenty-two million, four hundred thousand dollars. Upon your signature and biometric scan, the freeze on the accounts will be lifted instantly."

Maya reached for the digital pen. Her hand didn't tremble. In thirty days, these digital numbers would become worthless screens of light, but right now, they were the absolute key to her survival fortress.

Before the tip of the pen could touch the screen, a loud, abrasive voice shattered the quiet atmosphere of the lounge.

"Maya! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Maya didn't even turn her head. She knew that voice better than her own name.

Adrian marched over, his face flushed red with anger. He was dressed in a cheap designer jacket—one Maya had bought for him on his last birthday—and he was accompanied by Vanessa, who trailed behind him in a low-cut dress, clutching a knockoff luxury handbag.

"I called you three times!" Adrian shouted, entirely unconcerned that half the executives in the lounge were turning to look at him. He shoved his way right up to Maya’s table, pointing a sharp finger at her face. "My mother has been waiting for her medicine for two hours! And here you are, sitting in a luxury hotel drinking coffee while Vanessa and I are waiting for you to clean the apartment?!"

Vanessa stepped forward, pouting delicately as she leaned against Adrian’s arm. "Maya, really... Adrian’s mom is in so much pain. How can you be so selfish? Adrian said you were dutiful, but you're acting like a spoiled brat."

Arthur Sterling’s brow furrowed. "Excuse me, sir, this is a private legal consultation—"

"Shut up, old man! This doesn't concern you!" Adrian snapped, waving Arthur off dismissively. He turned back to Maya, his eyes glinting with familiar, arrogant dominance. "Get up right now. Give me your credit card so I can buy my mother's medicine, and then get your ass over to my apartment to start cooking dinner. Vanessa wants steamed lobster."

Maya slowly set the digital pen down.

She stood up, pulling her white coat neatly around her shoulders. She looked at Adrian—at his slicked-back hair, his narrow, greedy eyes, and the weak, cowardly jawline that had once fooled her into thinking he was her protector.

"Did you hear me?" Adrian sneered, stepping closer. "Hand over the card. And give me the keys to the sedan, I need to drive Vanessa home first—"

SLAP!

A sound like a gunshot echoed through the high-ceilinged hotel lobby.

Adrian’s head whipped violently to the side. The sheer force of the strike knocked him off balance, sending him crashing sideways into a potted orchid display. The heavy ceramic pot shattered against the floor, spraying dirt and white petals everywhere.

The entire lobby went dead silent. Businessmen dropped their coffee cups; waiters froze mid-stride; Vanessa let out a shrill, horrified gasp.

Adrian lay on the floor, clutching his left cheek. A bright red handprint was already swelling across his pale skin, his lip split and bleeding. He stared up at Maya in utter shock, his eyes wild with disbelief.

"You... you hit me?" he stammered, his voice cracking. "Maya, are you crazy?!"

Maya stepped over the broken pottery, her boots crunching sharply against the shards. She looked down at him like a person looking at a squished insect under her heel.

"Keep your loud, filthy mouth shut in my presence," Maya said, her voice smooth, icy, and echoing clearly across the quiet room. "Who gave you permission to speak to me like that?"

"Maya!" Vanessa shrieked, rushing to Adrian's side to help him up. "How could you be so violent?! Adrian loves you! He took you in when you were just an orphan with nothing! You ungrateful bitch!"

Maya turned her gaze onto Vanessa. The cold, lifeless stare in Maya’s green eyes was so terrifyingly sharp that Vanessa instantly choked on her own words, taking an instinctive step back.

"An orphan with nothing?" Maya chuckled softly.

She reached out, grabbed the leather strap of the luxury car key hanging from Adrian’s belt, and yanked it free with a sharp snap.

"That sedan was bought with my hard-earned savings," Maya declared, tossing the key casually into her handbag. "The apartment you live in is under my lease. The clothes on your back were paid for by my money. You and your mother are nothing more than blood-sucking leeches who fed off my kindness."

"Maya, give me back my car key!" Adrian roared, scrambling to his feet, his face twisted in humiliation as dozens of wealthy patrons pulled out their phones to record the scene. "I'll report you to the police! I'll break up with you! You hear me?! We're over!"

"Break up?" Maya smiled, a dark, dangerous curve of her lips. "Adrian, you were never worthy of standing beside me in the first place."

She turned her back on him, walking calmly back to the table. She picked up the digital pen and signed her name across the encrypted tablet with a single, elegant stroke.

Maya Vance.

A bright green notification flashed across the screen:

[TRANSFER SUCCESSFUL]

[FUNDS RELEASED: $122,400,000.00]

[RECIPIENT ACCOUNT: MAYA VANCE - PRIVATE VAULT]

A soft ding chimed from the phone in Maya’s coat pocket. A banking notification lit up the screen:

Current Balance: $122,414,200.50.

Arthur Sterling stood up, bowing deeply toward Maya with absolute deference. "It is an honor to serve you, Miss Vance. The Vance legal team and our private security firm are entirely at your disposal."

"Call the hotel security," Maya said calmly, not even bothering to glance back at Adrian, who was screaming threats while being restrained by two burly hotel guards. "Have those two trespassers thrown out into the street. And revoke Adrian’s parking pass immediately."

"Right away, Miss Vance."

As the security guards dragged a kicking, screaming Adrian and a crying Vanessa out through the glass doors, Maya walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window looking out over Sector 4.

The $120 million was hers. Her space was ready. Her revenge had officially begun.