Chapter 3 - The Bellevue Interrogation
The grand ballroom of the Bellevue Country Club was decorated in aggressive shades of ivory, sage green, and white orchids. Three hundred guests filled the space, their voices blending into a loud hum of laughter, clinking champagne glasses, and classical violin music.
As soon as Maya and Mason walked through the arched glass entrance, the room seemed to shift.
It wasn't just Mason’s towering height or his pristine suit; it was the way he walked. He moved with a quiet, dangerous grace that made people instinctively clear a path for him. Several prominent Seattle businessmen standing near the bar froze mid-conversation, their eyes widening in shock as they recognized the man walking arm-in-arm with a café barista.
“Maya!” a shrill voice cut through the air.
Aunt Judith glided toward them, wearing a bright turquoise gown and three strands of heavy pearls. Behind her trailed Maya’s mother, Helen, looking nervous and holding a half-empty glass of white wine.
“Judith, Mom,” Maya smiled, steeling herself as her aunt reached them.
“Maya, darling,” Judith said, her sharp eyes scanning Maya’s dress before instantly locking onto the tall, dark man standing at her side. Her jaw dropped slightly. “And who is this?”
“This is Mason,” Maya introduced, squeezing Mason’s muscular forearm tightly. “Mason, this is my Aunt Judith, and my mother, Helen.”
Mason bowed his head with dark, aristocratic charm. “A pleasure to meet you both. Maya has spoken about you often.”
Helen looked at Mason with wide, breathless eyes. “Oh my... you are... very tall, Mason. What did you say your last name was?”
“Reed,” Mason replied softly.
Judith’s eyes snapped wide. “Reed? As in... Reed Global Enterprises? The firm that acquired the harbor port expansion last month?”
“The same,” Mason said without a hint of vanity.
Judith looked as if she might faint directly onto the floral carpet. She immediately seized Maya’s left hand, her sharp nails digging slightly into Maya’s skin as she gasped at the emerald-cut diamond. “My god! Maya, you didn't tell us!”
“It’s a recent development,” Maya said quickly, feeling Mason’s chest vibrate with silent laughter against her shoulder.
Before Judith could launch into a twenty-question deposition, a loud, booming voice interrupted them.
“Well, well, if it isn't little Maya!”
Brandon, the groom, strutted over holding a glass of whiskey. He was thirty, wearing an overly tight tuxedo, his face flushed red from pre-wedding drinking. Beside him walked Chloe, Maya’s cousin, looking immaculate in her lace wedding gown.
“Hey Brandon,” Maya said weakly.
Brandon didn't look at Maya; his eyes were glued to Mason. “Hey man! I’m Brandon. I run sales over at MedTech Northwest. What did you say you do?”
“Investments,” Mason said flatly, his tone dropping three degrees in warmth.
“Investments! Nice, nice,” Brandon grinned, clapping Mason hard on the shoulder.
Every guard in the room—and three men in dark suits standing quietly near the entrance doors—seemed to go rigid. Maya felt Mason’s frame turn to pure steel beneath his jacket.
“You know,” Brandon continued, entirely oblivious to the sudden drop in room temperature, “I’ve been getting heavily into high-yield crypto logistics lately. We should talk shop over dinner. You look like a guy who knows how to move capital around discreetly.”
May you like
Mason looked down at Brandon’s hand, which was still resting on his shoulder. His hazel eyes were so cold, so terrifyingly calm, that Brandon’s grin slowly withered away.
“I move many things discreetly, Brandon,” Mason said softly, his voice echoing with an unspoken threat that made Brandon instantly pull his hand back. “Enjoy your wedding.”
