Chapter 8 - Ninety-Nine Point Nine
The room fell into a profound, heavy silence once again.
I stood by the bed, my chest heaving, the sheer velocity of the night's revelations leaving me dizzy and breathless. Within twelve hours, I had gone from serving water tables at Caruso’s to uncovering a multi-million-dollar kidnapping conspiracy and reclaiming my daughter.
Damian walked over to the bed, looking down at Leah, who was still sleeping peacefully through the chaos, her little hand resting over mine.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Maya," Damian said softly, his voice exhausted. "I thought I knew the people around me. I thought I was protecting my family. I was a blind fool."
"You weren't a fool, Damian," I said, looking up at him honestly. "You loved Leah. You raised her, protected her, and searched for doctors to help her speak. You gave her a safe home when she had nowhere else to go."
Damian looked at me, a soft, melancholy expression in his dark eyes. "She’s your daughter, Maya. Legally, biologically, morally. When the sun comes up, my lawyers will draft the paperwork to nullify the faked adoption records. Her custody will be returned to you entirely."
My heart skipped a beat. "Custody?"
"You can take her wherever you want," Damian said, though his voice cracked slightly on the words, a deep pain flashing behind his eyes. "I won't use my money or power to keep her from you. You’ve suffered enough. You deserve your child."
I looked down at Leah, then back up at the towering man who had spent two years doting on her, holding her when she was scared, and burning down his own empire tonight just to give her the truth.
"Damian," I said quietly. "Leah loves you."
He swallowed hard, looking away toward the window.
"She hasn't spoken in two years," I continued, stepping around the bed to stand in front of him. "She wouldn't let anyone touch her except you. When she called me 'Mama' tonight, she didn't stop looking at you for reassurance. You are her daddy, Damian. In every way that matters."
Damian turned his eyes back to mine, shock and hope warring on his face. "Maya... after everything my late wife's family did to you... you would let me stay in her life?"
"I don't want to take her father away from her," I said, a genuine smile breaking through my tears. "And besides... she needs both of us to make up for the two years we lost."
Damian stared at me for a long moment. Then, slowly, a deep, genuine smile broke across his handsome face—the first real smile I had seen from him all night. He reached out, his large, warm hand cupping the side of my face, his thumb gently brushing across my cheekbone.
"You are an extraordinary woman, Maya Lin," he whispered.
May you like
Before I could answer, a frantic radio transmission shattered the quiet atmosphere of the bedroom.
"Boss!" Marcus’s panicked voice cut through the speaker on Damian’s lapel. "We have a major situation at the gate! The Vance family’s private security detail just rammed the perimeter walls! They aren't letting Julianna go to the police—they’re trying to breach the manor to destroy the evidence!"
