Chapter 2: That's incorrect

“Do you realize what you’ve just done?” Nelly yelled, making heads turn.

Maya’s heart pounded loudly in her chest.

“Such a fool,” Nelly continued, stepping closer. “You come here with your filthy feet, wearing our expensive clothes, breathing our luxurious air, and now you decide to destroy something that’s worth more than your existence?”

The room was filled with whispers.

“She’s so clumsy,” someone murmured from behind.

“She doesn’t belong here,” another voice added.

Maya swallowed hard. Her gaze travelled to the girl who had brushed past her earlier and nudged her off balance. The girl was standing now with a mocking smirk, and her arms folded.

“You were the one who—” Maya started.

 “Oh please,” the girl scoffed. “Don’t try to blame anyone else for your mistake. Everyone saw it.”

 “That’s not true—” Maya started, her voice trembling.

“Enough!” Nelly cut her off, glaring at her with hatred burning in her eyes. “You’ve embarrassed my family enough for one night.”

The crowd grew thicker around them. Guests whispered, eyes filled with curiosity and judgment. 

Mrs. Sterling appeared from the other side of the hall, her expression dark.

“What in heaven’s name is going on here?” she demanded.

“Mother,” Nelly said quickly, pointing at Maya. “She broke the imperial vase.”

“What? Which one?” Mrs. Sterling snapped as she turned toward her daughter.

“The one from the Qing Dynasty, mother,” Nelly said quickly. “The one father got from the Dynasty collection.”

“What?” Mrs. Sterling’s voice came. She turned her glare on Maya, who stood frozen beside the shattered glass. “How?”

“I…someone pushed me—”

“Don’t you dare lie!” Mrs. Sterling cut in, stepping closer. “Unlucky girl! What were you even doing near it?”

Nelly crossed her arms smugly. “Oh my gosh, I don’t even know why Dad insisted she stays here.”

“That’s because he doesn’t want the idea of his child living in the countryside to stain his name,” Mrs. Sterling hissed. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let her step foot into this house.”

Her eyes filled with disgust. “She’s an illegitimate child. A countryside girl and she's unfortunate. Day one of you being here and you break something this expensive!”

Nelly stepped closer, tilting her head mockingly. “Do you even know how much that vase costs?”

Maya’s lips parted, but she couldn’t speak.

“Nearly two  hundred million dollars,” Nelly said with deliberate slowness, savoring every word. “Have you ever seen that much in your life, you wretch?”

The room went quiet except for the faint sound of the music. All eyes were on Maya. 

Maya looked down at the shattered pieces. Gosh, so much for trying not to be noticed.

 “It…it was an accident,” she whispered. “Someone pushed me—”

“Oh, don’t you dare make excuses,” Mrs. Sterling snapped. “That vase was a family heirloom, worth more than anything you’ve ever touched in your life.”

 “I didn’t mean to—”

 “You never mean to, do you?” Nelly shot back. “You just keep making trouble wherever you go.”

What? This was the first day they met.

The laughter that followed from the other girls was cruel, echoing in Maya’s ears.

She looked down, her eyes burning but she refused to let the tears fall.

 “Maybe we should just send her back to wherever she came from,” one of the guests whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

 “She doesn’t belong in this house,” another chimed in.

Just then Maya glanced at the girl who had pushed her. The girl fluttered her lashes, “Oh my gosh, Nelly, what do we do with her?”

Nelly paused, turning slowly to face Maya, with calculating eyes. “We should probably call the police, Anna.” she said. “Destruction of property is a crime, isn’t it? She should get arrested.”

Murmurs spread through the circle. One of the girls leaned forward. “What if we just handle her ourselves? Teach her a lesson she won’t forget?”

Another piped up eagerly, “Yes. Right here. Make her suffer so the next time she sees something expensive she runs away.”

They grinned at one another, delighting in the idea, their eyes filled with malice. Maya held their stares and said nothing. 

Mrs. Sterling folded her arms. “You’ll pay for this somehow, girl. I don’t care how, but you will—”

“Put it on my account,” a deep voice suddenly said, causing all eyes, including Maya's to turn.

A man in a dark, tailored suit rolled toward them. The suit itself screamed quiet luxury. His dark hair was slightly tousled, his skin was fair, his jawline sharp, and even though he sat on a wheelchair, there was no mistaking he was tall.

But it wasn’t the man alone that drew everyone’s attention. It was the sleek, black, electric wheelchair. The kind of thing that whispered power instead of pity. Two men stood silently behind him in matching suits and dark shades.

Mrs. Sterling’s entire demeanor changed. “E-Ethan… Mr. Ashford! You’re here already?” she stammered, the earlier arrogance disappeared.

“Yes, I am,” Ethan replied simply.

Ethan Ashford, the twenty-five-year-old multi-billionaire, CEO and founder of E&A Designs—an interior design and decor company ranked among the top in the city. Known for his brilliance, precision, and almost unnerving composure, he had built a reputation that few dared to question.

“Put it on my account,” he repeated.

Mrs. Sterling blinked rapidly, startled. “What? What do you mean…Mr. Ashford, you don’t have to. It’s fine—”

“It’s expensive, isn’t it?” Ethan asked without looking at her.

“Yes,” Nelly blurted out before Mrs. Sterling could speak. “She broke an imperial vase!” She turned to Maya. “Do you know how rare that is? It’s the real one from the Qing Dynasty, worth nearly two hundred million dollars!”

A faint smirk tugged at Ethan’s lips. “That’s incorrect.”

Nelly’s brows furrowed. “Excuse me?”

“The original of that imperial vase isn’t from the Qing Dynasty,” he said smoothly. “It’s Ming. Early Ming, to be exact. And it’s not worth two hundred million, it’s priceless. Because it’s not for sale. It’s housed in the National Museum of Beijing under government protection.”

A heavy silence dropped over the room.

He looked toward the broken vase, then back at Nelly. “What you had here was a decorative replica with nice finish, poor glazing, and a weak base, not more than $30,000. It wouldn’t have lasted a year.” 

Nelly’s mouth opened, but no words came out.

Ethan turned to one of the suited men standing behind him. “Replace it. Same design, better quality. Send the bill to my office.”

“Yes, boss.” They bowed slightly.

“All done,” Ethan said coolly. “The commotion can stop. I hate noise.”

As he turned and rolled away, heading toward the heart of the party, Maya could only stare at him. There was something about him.

And somehow, she knew this was only the beginning.