Bonds of the Alpha Billionaire (Maya and Alex)

Chapter 72

-Maya's POV-

Saturday

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Seventy-two hours.

Three excruciating days had crawled by since the earth had split open beneath my feet. Three days since the man I was supposed to call Dad. the one who should have been my protector, my safe harbor, had looked at me with such raw, naked hatred that the air itself seemed to crackle with hostility.

The vibrant chaos of the park swirled around me, a meaningless blur of sound and movement. Laughter, shouts of encouragement, the rhythmic thud of feet pounding the dirt-it all blended into a monotonous symphony of noise that did nothing to penetrate the thick fog clouding my mind.

Natalia sat beside me talking endlessly and outlining potential solutions to the text message problem.

"We could try a signal blocker. It wouldn't be foolproof, but it might buy us some time to track down the source."

My gaze remained fixed on a distant point on the horizon, a point that stretched into an endless void mirroring the hollowness within me. My chest felt heavy, and everything just felt so wrong.

"Or I've been doing some reading. We could use a counter-trace program. It's a little risky, but if we're careful..."

Her voice trailed off, and I finally tore my eyes away from the empty horizon. She was staring at me with a worried frown etched on her face.

"Amaya," her voice was gentle. "Are you even listening to me?"

A flicker of pain crossed Natalia's face for a fleeting moment before she recomposed herself. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Talk about it?

How could I possibly talk about it?

How could I put into words the searing pain of rejection that had branded itself onto my very soul? How could I explain the suffocating emptiness that had replaced the fragile hope I had clung to for so long? That someday we could get past whatever it was my father felt for me. He hated me. My own father simply hated me.

blur of black hair and bright blue eyes darted between swings, his laughter echoing through the air as he chased after Ivy. Her dark brown curls bounced with every

a much-needed dose of joy in the often harsh world we lived in. But today, even their playful energy couldn't break through the shroud of despair that enveloped me. Their laughter sounded distant,

Naty, panting and grinning from ear to ear, stood in front of me, his chest puffed out with pride as he wrapped his hand around his sister,

his voice filled with childish triumph.

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a smile, the movement unfamiliar on my lips. "Good job,

with her

They both exclaimed at the same

truly knew the depths of my pain. Ivy and Nate, easily distracted, turned their attention back to the park and darted back towards the other children. Their laughter became clearer as they joined

to make you feel better," Natalia finally sighed, her voice laced

me out of my self-imposed isolation. I turned to her,

nothing to say."

have a father, and... and he hates me.

It

And trust me, letting them win, letting their words define you, that only hurts you in the long run." "But how do I just... turn it

define you. You are Amaya Stone, Maya freaking Stone. You are strong, you are brave, and you are worthy of

off abruptly, her gaze snapping towards the edge of the park. Her eyes widened in alarm, and a flicker of cold fear washed over her face. She didn't speak, but the sudden shift

"Natalia? What's wrong?"

for whatever had caused her sudden alarm. But I saw nothing out of the ordinary, just the

answering my question, she scrambled to her feet, her movements quick and purposeful. "We need to get the twins and go."

to explain," Natalia snapped, already starting to gather our things scattered around the bench.

about -"I began to protest, but

honeybuns!" she called out in a bright, cheerful voice that contrasted sharply

around her.

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Chapter 72

twins, still happily engrossed in their game of tag with a couple of other children,

pleaded, my voice laced with panic. "What's going on? Why

voice rising in volume as she called out

way towards us. Nate tried to bargain for a few more minutes