Chapter 5 - Shadows of the Past
By the time the limousine pulled into the underground garage of Alexander’s high-rise penthouse, Maya had fallen fast asleep, exhausted by the food, the heat, and the sudden crash of adrenaline. Alexander carried her upstairs in his arms, careful not to wake her.
Dr. Sarah Hayes, a trusted private physician and longtime family friend, was already waiting in the living room.
For the next two hours, while Maya slept peacefully on a massive guest bed wrapped in clean linen, Dr. Hayes conducted a gentle, thorough examination. She treated the scrapes on Maya’s knees, applied soothing ointment to the red mark on her wrist, and ran blood tests to check for malnutrition.
"She’s severely underweight, Alex," Dr. Hayes said softly as she stepped out into the spacious living room, pulling off her medical gloves. "And she has mild vitamin deficiencies. But miraculously, no major illnesses or infections. She’s tough. A survivor."
Alexander stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the glowing city skyline. "What about her family? Is there any record of her?"
"I ran her photo through the city’s public health database," Sarah said, handing him a digital tablet. "Her mother was Elena Lin. She worked two jobs as a seamstress and a cleaner. No criminal record, no debt, just desperately poor. She died of untreated pneumonia three months ago. There are no registered relatives."
"So she has no one," Alexander murmured.
"Legally, she belongs to the state, Alex," Sarah cautioned, looking at him with concern. "Child Protective Services will have to be involved. If news gets out that a billionaire took a missing child from a gala without official processing, it could become a massive scandal."
"Let them try to make it a scandal," Alexander said coldly. "Evelyn Vance and her husband are already trying to turn the media against me to save their own reputations. The press is calling it a 'billionaire's publicity stunt'."
Just then, Alexander's phone rang. It was his head of legal, Jonathan Vance (no relation, his trusted attorney).
"Alex, we have a problem," Jonathan's voice came through the speaker. "Evelyn Vance’s husband has filed an official complaint with social services, claiming you abducted a ward of the state from a private event. They’ve tipped off the media. Social services social workers, accompanied by police officers, are on their way to your penthouse right now to take the child into a state holding facility."
Alexander's eyes narrowed. "They want to put a traumatized four-year-old into an overcrowded group home just to save face?"
"They want to prove you overstepped your bounds," Jonathan said. "If she enters the foster system, Evelyn’s connections in the welfare department could make it very difficult for you to adopt her quickly."
Alexander looked back toward the bedroom door. Through the slightly open gap, he could see Maya small form under the blanket, breathing softly, safe and warm for the first time in months.
"Block them," Alexander ordered into the phone. "Call the family court judge. Get an emergency temporary guardianship order signed within thirty minutes. I don't care how many favors you have to pull or how much it costs."
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"Alex, that's almost impossible on a Sunday night!" Jonathan protested.
"Make it possible," Alexander commanded. "Because if anyone tries to pull that child out of this house tonight, I will burn this city’s legal system to the ground."
