Commotion and Jealousy

When Maya and and Oliver arrived at The Sapphire Hotel people were already gossiping around them.

"Don't worry, we both know that they can gossip as much as they want, but they won't do anything," Oliver did his best to calm Maya down, but it was useless, she was still bothered by the people around them.

"Still…" Maya said as her voice trailed and she looked around.

For some reason she was looking for someone, she wasn't sure who, but she had a nagging feeling that she should stay alert.

"Are you worried Nate Rue will see you?" Oliver said bitterly as he noticed Maya searching the room.

"No," she sighed.

"You do know that there is no way he would even be invited, right?" Oliver reminded Maya. "He isn't exactly a notable person, plus he just returned. Even Mr. Lee couldn't get you an invite."

"I'm sure I could have gotten an invite personally if I was given more time," Maya told Oliver, reminding him that her family was not one to be trifled with in Arlington.

"But still, you'd have to ask," Oliver as a matter of frankly pointed out.

He meant no harm by it, just that the Miller family was not at the top of society. The Wright family ranked much higher and add to it the fact that Oliver worked for DLR Enterprises, he was invited without even asking.

"If you will continue to flaunt your family's status in my face I will leave you and look for the President and CEO of DLR Enterprises on my own," Maya declared in a low voice, making sure that no one could hear her threat.

She knew just how embarrassing it would be for Oliver if his date simply left him in the middle of the ballroom, right after they had arrived.

"I didn't mean it that way and you know it," Oliver hissed as he pulled her to the side.

He had noticed that people had begun to look at them so he decided that they should have this conversation a little bit away from the crowd.

"God, please can we just have a normal night just like we used to?" Oliver asked Maya, practically pleading with the tone of his voice.

"Like we used to? Who was the one that had to make it awkward in the first place?!" Maya was now pissed off with Oliver. "Who gave vague answers to the question of if we were dating?"

"You weren't there, you didn't hear the shit they were saying about you!" Oliver said as he raised the tone of his voice.

"They always say shit about me and it's the same thing over and over, I can handle myself, Oliver," Maya reminded him.

"You weren't there, you didn't hear how they ridiculed—"

"How they said I was a loose woman with no standards?" Maya asked Oliver. "Or how I had given up my future for a man that just left me, abandoned me? Do you really think I had no idea about the shit being said behind my back?"

"I didn't think—"

"No you didn't think about how I felt or how I could have been suffering from those rumors way before you returned," Maya told Oliver.

"Maya, I was only looking out for you, I only wanted to help you," he argued as he begged for her to hear his side.

"I think, Oliver, you forget that by the time you returned, Nate had been gone for two years," Maya told him. "I survived those two years without your help."

"But Maya, if you were married to someone reputable, someone important—"

"It still wouldn't change!" Maya was furious now at Oliver.

He seemed to think that her being associated with him would make things easier, he didn't realize that it would in fact make things worse.

"Oliver, I don't need you, I don't need some contractual marriage I can handle myself," Maya hissed.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" someone asked, catching Maya and Oliver's attention.

At first, Maya thought that it was them that the onlookers were talking about, but they soon realized that there was some drama unfolding somewhere else in the ballroom.

Carried over by the crowd, Maya and Oliver were soon standing close to the commotion.

"I'm a guest here," Maya heard an all too familiar voice making her surge forward, only for Oliver to pull her back as the police arrived to defuse the situation.

"How is he even here?" she heard Oliver whisper.

She couldn't help but let a smile spread on her face as she watched Oliver turn pale. It seemed he really didn't think Nate would be capable of securing an invite to tonight's event.

It also, however, shocked Maya as well. She didn't know how both Nate and Jay, who was standing behind Nate, had gotten invites to the event.

"It's stolen!" she heard her cousin, Gary, shout snapping her out of her thoughts.

The police quickly moved to arrest both Nate and Jay. As she saw the scene unfold Maya panicked and couldn't help but call out to Nate.

"Nate?" she asked in shock as she felt a man's arm wrap around her waist.

At the same time, Nate heard her voice above the crowd and looked at her, his eyes burning with jealousy as Oliver tried to pull Maya towards him.

"Don't touch me!" Maya shouted as she slapped Oliver on instinct and ran over to stop Nate and Gary from fighting.

"What the hell is happening here?" Maya asked as she stood between Nate and Gary.

She then turned and glared at her cousin.

"How dare you accuse someone of stealing an invitation, we both know how strict they are at the entrance!" She shouted before turning to the police.

She frowned and sighed.

"I'm sorry for the commotion my cousin has caused, but these men are probably innocent," she said.

"It's fine Miss Miller, we were just here to defuse the situation. We don't want any drama during the anniversary ball either," the policeman said as he gestured for his companions to leave and disperse the crowd.

Maya was about to speak to Nate, but to her shock all she caught was his back disappearing into the crowd.

"Let him go," Jay said as he grabbed Maya's wrist, stopping her from chasing after Nate.