PLAYING THE GAME

*****

“Maya, when did you start being considerate about my feelings or what I think of you?! We both know you hate me and I hate you as well—if not more. So what changed?”

Mr. Brown’s brother was screaming at me, his voice echoing off the poolside tiles.

I immediately realized he had come to Mr. Brown’s house to see his brother. Instead of staying in my apartment where he might cause trouble again, I had slipped out quietly to relax by the pool. The last time he visited, he stormed into my space, creating a nuisance. But the guard, under my orders, told him I wasn’t home.

“I left the house to relax here since it’s the weekend, Uncle. Why don’t we end this enmity and just become friends? You are more like a father to me too,” I said, forcing my voice to sound calm and cool, even though my heart was racing.

But my uncle wasn’t ready for peace. His eyes burned into me like hot coals.

“Maya, until you tell me what happened to you those three months, I won’t let you be! Did you hit your head or something? The niece I know would never suggest we become friends. You love fighting with me! Are you a coward now?” he spat, his body leaning so far forward it seemed he would fall into the pool.

I stared into his face and what I saw there was nothing but pure hatred. It made me wonder: how did he and Maya get to this point? Aren’t they family? Shouldn’t blood be thicker than this?

“If you think you can come back here playing some pretend game just to grab my brother’s property, you’re only deceiving yourself. I’m a man, and I can handle it better than you!” he snarled.

His words hit me like a knife. They immediately sent a signal to my brain: this man had just given himself away. He had mentioned pretending. He had mentioned Mr. Brown’s property. That was enough motive to kill Maya.

And in that instant, he became my first suspect.

I threw away the calm mask I had been wearing and jumped out of the pool. My maid, always alert, rushed forward and handed me a soft purple towel. Wrapping it around my body, I strolled toward my uncle. My soft eyes hardened into steel. He didn’t deserve sympathy.

“Uncle, aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” I snapped, my voice sharp enough to cut glass. “Standing by my poolside, bantering with me about my father’s money and assets? Why don’t you work for your own? He’s my father. If he wished to include you in his will, so be it. But don’t you ever think he would give you all his properties when his daughter is still alive!”

I was frowning so hard that I felt the muscles in my face ache.

Mr. Brown’s brother recoiled slightly, clearly taken aback by my sudden change in tone and demeanor. His eyes flickered with shock, though he tried to conceal it. I smiled inwardly. If he was indeed the killer, then my reaction would confuse him. After all, he would believe Maya had seen her own death. So how could she be standing here alive?

My phone rang at that exact moment, startling me and giving me an excuse to walk away. I picked up quickly.

“Richard… Oh, I’ll never forget our dinner,” I said loudly, making sure my uncle could hear every word. “You disturbed me for weeks before I agreed. I need that dinner now. I’m on my way to my room to prepare.”

I ended the call with a smug smile. Everyone was scared of Richard—including my uncle. If he thought I was back with Richard, he would tread more carefully around me. Richard was an influential man, powerful and feared.

I couldn’t help but smile proudly at how I had handled the situation. And at the same time, Richard’s words replayed in my head.

“You’ve changed since you returned. You are no longer gloomy or always frowning. There’s this aura of positivity around you that keeps drawing me in,” he had confessed once in my office.

Despite our frequent arguments, we both couldn’t deny the attraction pulling us together—especially Richard. I knew tonight at dinner, he would ask questions. Who had I dated? What was he like? Richard was possessive, and he wanted to know everything about me.

“You’re smiling sheepishly like a teenage daughter!”

I looked up and saw Mr. Brown on the top floor, his voice teasing. I waved at him excitedly like a little girl who had just spotted her father after years apart.

“I’m going to dinner with Richard,” I called back. “He said it’s just a casual outing among business partners!”

I added the last part quickly, because I knew Mr. Brown too well—he would tease me about it endlessly. True to form, he laughed heartily, his voice carrying down to me.

Since he saved my life, Mr. Brown had become my best friend. We talked and played together often. The last time I told him about my complicated relationship with Richard, we argued for hours. He insisted I would fall in love with Richard, while I swore it would never happen. We argued all through the night, snacking and watching movies like father and daughter.

Mr. Brown calls me daughter, and I call him father.

Our bond went beyond revenge. It wasn’t about helping each other anymore—it was natural, effortless. I wanted to care for him, and he spoiled me like his own.

The next day at work, drama unfolded. I overheard Ivy crying hysterically in Richard’s office. He had scolded her, reminding her not to discuss personal matters during work hours. His voice was cold, detached. Their relationship had shifted drastically since the day I returned.

Just as I was processing that, my secretary called from the company phone.

“Hello, madam. Mr. David is here to see you. David from Diamond Platinum Corporation.”

The name hit me like lightning. My entire body froze. My chest tightened, my skin prickling with cold sweat.

David.

Hearing his name, his surname, alongside my company’s name, was enough to numb me completely.

“Yes, ma’am? Hello? Hello, madam Maya?” my secretary’s voice echoed again, snapping me out of my trance.

He didn’t know it was me. That meant David was here to see Maya.

Exactly what I had been waiting for.

“Let him in, Dera. Thank you,” I said quickly, regaining composure. I adjusted my posture, sitting upright, ready to face my husband again. Yes—my husband. Legally, we were still married. To him, I was dead.

“Welcome, Mr. David,” I said smoothly when he entered. “David…?”

I deliberately trailed off, waiting for him to say his surname.

“David, madam. Nice meeting you finally,” he replied with a beaming smile, like a boy handed his favorite candy.

I noticed his eyes flicker to the slit in my skirt. He lingered. Lust. Distraction. Weakness. Perfect.

“You’re here to sign the contract you won with us, right?” I asked, flipping through the file my secretary had left earlier that morning. I hadn’t bothered to open it until now.

Inside, I forced myself to remain still. My hands wanted to tremble, but I clasped them tightly. I couldn’t afford to show a single crack.

“Are you okay, madam Maya? You look upset. I think you’re tired. I hear you work yourself out a lot. You should go out with your man and relax sometimes… maybe spend weekends with him, switch off your phone,” David said casually, emphasizing man.

He was fishing. He wanted to know if I was seeing someone.

Greedy thief! I screamed inside my head. Already looking for a way to exploit Maya too.

I forced my lips into a sweet smile, even as my insides boiled with rage. Then, deliberately, I shifted slightly in my chair, allowing my slit to part wider, showing more of my lap. His eyes dropped instantly.

The betrayal burned in me. He had stolen my designs, my hard work, my proposals—everything. He had discouraged me, told me to abandon Mr. Brown’s company when they initially rejected me. And now here he was, shamelessly using my ideas to win contracts with Mr. Brown.

What a sly man.

“Oh, there’s no time for any man right now. I’m single,” I lied smoothly, keeping my voice innocent. “I’m sure you’ll understand since you’re single too.”

I pretended I didn’t know he had married Olivia.

“That’s true, madam Maya. Work has been so demanding. Since I lost my wife, I haven’t been able to be with any other woman. I miss my late wife so much. Sometimes, I don’t think I can ever love again,” he said, his smile fading into a sorrowful act.

My stomach twisted. Liar.

He had married Olivia the very same week I had my accident. While I lay in a coma, he was building a new life with my so-called best friend.

Bastard.

But his lies gave me clarity. Just like Olivia had stolen him from me, I would take him back. And not just him—I would take everything he stole from me.

“Why are you smiling with the client, Maya?”

Richard’s voice thundered from the doorway.

He walked in with the kind of presence that froze the room. His frown was carved deep, his eyes blazing cold fire at David. I followed his gaze. David was staring at my lap when Richard caught him.

The tension was palpable.

I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms. This game had only just begun.

On one side was my husband, who thought I was dead, who had betrayed and discarded me.

On the other was the man I was falling in love with—who believed I was someone else entirely.

This was going to be interesting.