Chapter 83

Two days before the trial

Ava's POV

"There are only have about 6 reservations for next week... and..." I trailed off, not wanting to admit the other bad news but Mae knew there was something wrong.

"What?"

"Four more employees quit" my voice was barely above a whisper.

Mae's head nodded slowly as if she already expected that. Ever since she was arrested, the hotels are being boycotted more and more by the public each week. The more evidence towards Mae's guilt is published, the more employees leave. The hotel in LA is affected the most.

"Close it then" Mae said in a low tone shrugging her shoulders.

"What?!" I asked, shocked about Mae's decision.

"Are you sure?" But Mae just nodded her head.

"Okay..." I sighed leaning back in my seat. "What's the plan?"

Since Alexander threatened to destroy Mae months ago, she took precautions. As soon as she was arrested, I transferred a great amount of her money to bank accounts she gave me beforehand. She told me in case something happens, she doesn't want her fortune to be handled by a lawyer. Besides Michael and her children, Mae also opened a bank account in my sister's name, with me and Sean having full access to it.

Even in her darkest days she's  keeping her promise to take care of my sister.

To keep the business running she worked out a new emergency plan that in case of her being unable to work entitled each hotel manager to full power of attorney.

What she didn't think of was that she'd be accused of murder. And with her being in prison, many many people left the sinking ship aka the company, including many hotel managers.

Now, I can't even get a hold of some hotels and I fear that this time of lack in leadership will eventually lead to the downfall of the Harriet-empire.

"Prison yard walk at 3 pm, dinner at 6 pm and... lights out at 9" she said while staring me dead in the eyes.

"Mae!" I whined. "Are you serious?"

"Times up!" A guard knocked on the door of the conference room.

"1-9-5-8" Mae said as I was getting up from my seat.

"What?" I asked, confused about what she was telling me with these numbers.

"There's a safe in my office, behind the portrait on the wall!"

The door opened and a guard walked in while Mae stared at me with stern eyes.

*****

"She told you to close the hotel?" Sean asked as we walked the empty halls of the hotel in LA.

"Yes, Sean, I don't know what has gotten into her! It's like she doesn't care anymore." With my key I opened the door to Mae's office that still looked the same, as if she just left.

Piles of documents spread across her desk, her chair slightly turned to the left, ready for her to sit down and her favorite pen still laying there on the desk.

My eyes met the portrait on the wall behind her desk. A perfect family. Michael sat on what I guessed was some kind of throne with younger versions of their children on his lap. The resemblance to his children was undeniable, Mae's genes had absolutely no chance.

With her hands on Michael's shoulders Mae stood strong behind her family. My gaze stayed on her. Somehow I kept thinking of the undeniable love of a mother, doing everything in her power to protect her family. The picture held power.

"Behind that picture?" Sean asked and I nodded before he carefully grabbed the beautiful picture and gently placed it on the floor.

Like Mae said, there was a safe.

"1-9-5-8" I told him to combination Mae gave me.

"1-9-5-8?" Sean asked unbelievingly.

"Yes?! That's what Mae told me!"

Standing in front of the safe with one hand on his hip and one on the safe, he started laughing.

"What?!" I asked, visibly confused about his sudden outburst in laughter.

"1958" Sean repeated.

"Yes!? That's the combination she gave me!" I was getting frustrated.

"Av, 1958 is the year Michael was born!"

My mouth immediately turned into an 'O' shape at the realization that Mae used Michael's birth year as the combination for the safe.

"This is soo cute" Sean then said but I shook my head.

"This is disgusting! It was cute in the beginning but now... They are so madly deeply in love and keep making themselves miserable! This is disgusting, now open that damn thing. I want to go home!"

*****

"I found something!" Sean yelled as we worked us through the papers that Mae hid in the safe.

"What is it?"

"It's... OH MY GOD!" Sean's eyes widened.

"WHAT IS IT SEAN?" I yelled at him.

"It's the legal papers of the house. And guess what?"

"Sean, I swear to god, if you don't come to the point within the next 5 seconds, I'll have to turn violent!" I spoke in a calm voice with my eyes closed while I massaged the bridge of my nose with two fingers.

"Okay, okay. This is a certificate of land ownership from our house and Mae's name isn't in it!"

"What?!" I asked unbelievingly. " Wait a second! Who owns the house if it's not Mae?"

"It says Ava Victoria Carson and Sean Huang."

*****

"I don't get it, Sean. Mae is the most selfless human being I ever met! She doesn't care about money, she doesn't care about wealth. All she cares about is how to raise the people around her..." I spoke as we sat in the car, on our way back home.

"There has to be something we can do to help her. But what? Her fingerprints are on the murder weapon, to help her we'd have to proof that she was tricke-"

"Ava, you're a genius!" Sean said from behind the wheel.

"Well, I know, obviously. But that doesn't help in her case."

"It does, we have to proof that Mae was tricked!"

"Yes, but how can we do that? There were no witnesses when Alexander put the gun in her hands in the empty parking lot in front of his house!"

"Yes, but where there are expensive cars, there are security cameras!"

*****

The day before the trial

"NO!" Mae's pale face was full of anger.

"This could proof your innocence!" I tried to bring her around.

"I said no!"

"But Mae-"

"No, okay? I don't want you to get into danger! Not for me!" I could tell that she debated wether she should call the guard to take her back to her cell to escape this conversation or not.

"I bet, Michael and Greg were here already. What did they say? What are your chances of winning? Because for all I know, you need a miracle! I know what you are doing! You are looking for an easy way out! Do you just want to stay here and then what? Watch your kids grow up from your cell? Don't you think they deserve a mother?"

Mae's head tilted to the side as she was listening closely.

"They need their mother! They need you! You'll miss their whole life if you don't start fighting for justice, because you are innocent!"

"I keep hurting everybody around me! I don't want you and Sean to get hurt as well!" Mae spoke with tears in her eyes.

"Let us at least try to help you!" I begged as I reached for her hand and squeezed it lightly.

Mae sighed before giving in. "Okay, what's the plan?"