Max smiled thinly at the woman sitting opposite him— cloaked in layers, hidden from head to toe beneath a mask, oversized sunglasses, and a cap pulled low. "Do you think you’re some kind of celebrity, hiding yourself like this?"
Saira calmly lowered her mask and slipped off her sunglasses, revealing eyes that didn’t flinch. "I came dressed like this not because of who I am and the current scandal around me—but because of who you are. I figured you wouldn’t want any rumors linking you to me, especially right now."
Max let out a dry snort, and shook his head, "Wrong."
Saira raised a questioning eyebrow at that. He didn’t mind rumors?
"I don’t want any rumors with you ever," Max continued, in a flat and unapologetic tone. "Forget ’at the moment.’" He leaned back slightly, giving her a once-over. "And anyway what makes you so sure I’ll be able to arrange a meeting with Adam for you? Do I look like his agent? Or some kind of middleman? Adam and I—we’re just casual friends, together for parties, nothing more."
Saira gave a knowing smile, unbothered by the dismissal in his voice. "The fact that you agreed to see me, and are now sitting here asking me that question, tells me two things: one, you can help me; and two, on some level, you’re curious. You want to know why I asked for this meeting. That tells me you’re not just casual friends with Adam. You’re his confidante, his business partner, and probably the one person he listens to when things go sideways. You might wear the ’casual friend’ mask in public, Mr Maximilan, but I’ve done my homework. You and Adam aren’t the only ones with access to private investigators."
Max gave a slow nod, the corner of his mouth twitching—not quite amusement, not quite irritation. "Hmm. Impressive." He tilted his head, voice dropping slightly. "But let me ask you this: if, as you say, I am Adam’s friend... why would I want him anywhere near a woman as toxic as you?"
Saira looked down for a moment as if ashamed but in the next moment she looked back up with a cold unbothered look," Then maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t come here for your permission. Because whether you help or not, I will get to Adam. You’re not the only door to him, Maximilan. Just the most convenient one."
Max raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by the bravado. He might not know everything but he knew enough that this woman needed Adam for some reason. But she didn’t seem to know when to stop and continued,
"What you seem unaware of is the reason that Adam’s been looking for me persistently. There was a reason he hadn’t found me and it’s not because he was not trying. But was he really looking for me to seek revenge? I am sure you know Adam better than that.
Her words lingered between them like smoke. Max’s jaw tightened. It was true that Adam had indeed be desperately searching for her. Even when he’d called Adam last night to tell him that Saira had contacted him he had been eager to meet her.
"So here’s how this goes," Saira said, sitting straighter, her voice a shade colder. "If you really can’t help me—if you really don’t have the influence you pretend not to have—that’s your problem, not mine. I’ll vanish again. I’ve done it before. And when I do... Adam won’t find me. Not next month, not next year, not ever."
She let that hang in the air, like a final warning.
Max exhaled sharply. her words had struck a nerve. If she really disappeared again then things would not go over well. "What is it you want to tell him so badly? You could just tell me, and I’ll pass it on."
Saira’s smile was slow, cold, and without warmth."No. The only person I speak to is Adam. Direct. Face to face." She stood then and gave him another cool smile. "He has until tomorrow to decide. You can tell him that."
Then, she pulled a plain envelope from inside her coat and placed it on the table between them. Her long nails tapped on it for a second—just enough to draw attention to it, but she said nothing enough to explain. "He can see this in case it will help him to decide."
"If it’s a yes, tell him to meet me at Hotel Five Seasons. Noon. If it’s a no..." she paused, eyes narrowing ever so slightly, "then you can both live with the silence. I won’t try again. And he won’t get a second chance."
With that, she turned and walked away, her face determined. Max’s expression shifted the moment she was gone—no longer guarded, but something closer to exasperated curiosity. He knocked once on the table and a hidden door behind the bookshelf swung open, and Adam stepped into the room.
He didn’t say a word. His eyes were on the envelope.
Max leaned back in his chair and gave a low whistle. "So... tell me again—were you blind or just stupid to have fallen for a viper like thar?"
As expected Adam did not answer and instead picked up the envelope without a word. Max wanted to ask Adam not to open it but he was too curious to deter his friend. So, when Adam picked up the envelope, he simply stared, waiting.
A child—no older than four—sat in a garden, sunlight caught in unruly brown curls. But it was the eyes that did it. Wide. Bright. Piercing. The exact shade of Adam’s.
Adam’s hand froze. The photo trembling between his fingers.
He stared at it like it had undone him.
Max tilted his head to glance at it and let out a low curse. "Well. That explains her confidence. What are you going to do now?"
But Adam could only continue to look at the photo. This had to be the biggest cosmic joke. All these years, he had been looking for his child and wondering if Saira had indeed given birth and now... just when he was hoping that she had not lied about her miscarriage... his world was once again turned over.