Chapter 9: The Garden Terrace
The ambient noise of the gala muffled the soft clicking of Maya’s heels against the marble floor as she drifted toward the terrace doors. She kept her posture relaxed, her shoulders dropped, and her expression cool and indifferent—the quintessential portrait of a bored guest seeking fresh air away from the suffocating political chatter inside.
Julian Vance parted ways with the senator, turning his attention toward a glass-enclosed garden courtyard outside. As he stepped through the sliding glass doors into the cool night air, Maya adjusted her course, intercepting him near a stone fountain that bubbled softly in the center of the courtyard.
“Director Vance?” Maya said, pitching her voice just loud enough to carry over the sound of the water.
Julian turned, his sharp, aristocratic features tightening into a polite, guarded mask. He looked her up and down, taking in the elegant velvet gown and the composed posture. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, my dear. I usually make it a point to remember every striking woman in the room.”
“Forgive me,” Maya replied, stepping closer with a disarming smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. “Your brother sends his regards.”
Julian’s posture froze instantly. The polite mask vanished, replaced by a flash of genuine, unmasked panic. He instinctively reached for his right hand, but Maya was already moving.
In a fluid, lightning-fast motion that mirrored her takedown of Arthur in the cinema lobby, Maya stepped inside his guard. She caught his right wrist with her left hand, twisting it sharply upward while using her right palm to deliver a precise, controlled strike to his elbow joint. Julian gasped, his knees buckling slightly from the sudden pain as the gold signet ring slid off his finger and into her waiting palm.
Before the two private bodyguards stationed by the terrace doors could react, Maya swept Julian’s legs out from under him, sending him crashing neatly into the soft decorative moss surrounding the fountain. She spun around, her eyes locking onto the approaching guards.
May you like
“Stay right there,” Maya said calmly, holding up the ring between her thumb and forefinger. “Gravity is a wonderful teacher. Let’s not repeat the lesson.”
The guards halted, their hands hovering near their jackets as they assessed the situation and realized the director was already compromised.
