Chapter 84

MAYA'S POV For a moment I wasn't sure what to say. Everyone had already pieced together their own assumptions, and the last thing I needed was for them to come too close to the truth—that Lucian and Elora were legally bound by marriage. That secret could destroy everything for me if it revealed itself now. I would only be named an whore for sleeping with a married man. So I forced my lips into a smile, tilted my chin with practiced ease, and said smoothly, “Lucian only went there because his grandmother and Mrs Boston are very close. He was asked to deliver gifts on her behalf since she couldn't make it due to her health. I got his message earlier.” The tension in the room eases as they all nod in understanding. Though some still looked doubtful, most of the guests seemed content with my explanation. And then, as if fate itself were backing me up, a young man I knew too well from Lucian’s company entered, carrying a beautifully wrapped parcel. He bowed slightly before addressing me. “I