CHAPTER 007

I coughed, the sound disrupting the thick tension that seemed to fill the room.

Holding my chest, I continued coughing even though I was perfectly fine, and it did the trick.

The masked man adjusted, his stance going from terror and towering to confused and concerned in seconds.

At that same moment, an older woman entered the room, her eyes settling on my frame. From her white dress and the way her hair was tied up in a bun, I instantly guessed she belonged to the housekeeping department.

The masked man turned to the woman, then spoke, his voice taking charge.

“Get her a cup of water to get rid of that cough, Mia. And call doctor Carlos immediately. As much as I don't care if she dies or lives due to her poor manners, I don't want her dying on my property.”

I turned away, hurt by the harshness of his words.

He was right. In a world where I was sold by my own mother, nobody really cared if I stayed alive or died.

The woman left the room, her pumps clicking on the tiles.

“Look at me!”

His voice pierced the air with brute force and I snapped to attention, turning to him, fighting back the tears that stung my eyes in an attempt to appear stronger than I really was.

“You were bought for eighty million. Eighty! In your life, I'll bet my balls that you've not seen such a huge amount. What does that tell you?”

Beneath the mask, I could practically smell his anger. When I didn't answer, he moved closer, his face a few inches from mine.

“You're going to stay alive, whether you like it or not. Are we clear?”

“Yes…yes, sir.”

Stuttering, my hands trembled as I accepted the glass of water from the older woman who had found her way back into the room.

“Doctor Carlos is on his way, boss.”

He leaned back, slipping his hands into his pockets, before proceeding to nod.

“Excellent. Tell him to make sure he gets rid of her cough. I want her out of that bed by tomorrow. I didn't buy a servant to remain in bed.”

He turned to stare at me again, and even though I couldn't see his eyes beneath the mask, I could only imagine what was underneath it.

As soon as he left the room, I exhaled, like a criminal that had been set free. It was then I recognized that throughout the time he had been in the room, I had been struggling to breathe.

“Are you okay? The doctor will be here in a few minutes.”

The older woman who he had called Mia looked at me with so much concern that I bit my lip in an effort to hold back my tears.

How long had it been since my own mother looked at me like that?

“Yes, I'll be fine. Just a slight headache and the light kind of hurts my eyes. Apart from that, I'm okay.”

She touched my forehead, then smiled warmly.

“It's the result of fainting, I think. Your body struggles to adapt after being still for so long. You'll be alright. I'm sorry about…”

She looked at the door before speaking, as if she was afraid to call his name.

Indeed, she was scared. I could see her lips tremble slightly as she continued speaking.

“I'm sorry he spoke to you like that. That's the way things are around here. You'll just have to get used to it.”

I nodded, sipping the water, holding the glass with both hands.

“Does that mean I'm not the first servant to come here?”

The older woman shook her head.

“No, you're not. Every two to three months, new servants show up. If you're lucky and good enough, you make it into one of the departments. If you're not, you'll be resold somewhere even worse. I'm sorry this has happened to you…”

The last thing I wanted was for someone to feel sorry for me. My chin up, I spoke, wanting to know more.

“Who is he? The masked man? Does he ever remove his mask?”

Before she could reply, a presence entered the room, interrupting us both. The man was recently shaven, and the bulge in the side of his denim jacket told me that he was armed.

Following him closely was a bald man who struggled with his spectacles.

“Mia, I believe there are other things for you to do than spending your time tending to the new servant. You can go, doctor Carlos here will take over from where you have stopped.”

Mia nodded, standing with a ready made smile plastered on her face. She exited the room, leaving me with the two strange men.

As soon as the door closed behind her, I was suddenly aware of how alone I was.

The man in a denim jacket came forward, his eyes looking at me skeptically.

The difference between him and the masked man was jarring. Even though he was armed, the level of fear I had felt with the masked man in the room was greater.

“Doctor Carlos will take care of you.” He paused, his eyes going to the IV pole before returning to my face. “What do they call you?”

I took my time before replying, wondering if it was safe enough to tell a strange man my name.

But what did I have to lose? I had been sold and bought like common fabric in a grocery store, and I was in a room that I didn't even recognize.

“Nyssa.”

“Good. Doctor Carlos, take care of Nyssa for us, okay? And call me if you need anything.”

He patted the doctor a little bit too violently on the shoulder because he nearly fell, but caught himself in time, his hand clutching his stethoscope a little too tightly.

“I will do just that.”

As soon as the door closed behind us, the doctor exhaled, then shook his head.

Sensing his frustration and the fact that he was uncomfortable, I pounced, asking the first question that came to my mind.

“Are they forcing you to do this? You can go to the police, you know. You're not like me, you're free. You can help yourself…” I paused, looking at his surprised eyes before continuing, “You can even help me as well…”

To my shock, he burst into laughter, holding the edge of the bed.

When he stopped laughing a few seconds later, there were tears in his eyes, and he sighed, a tired sigh of defeat.

“I've worked for these people for ten years now, miss. And I'll tell you something you don't know. They control the police, and control virtually everything in this city. They have eyes and ears everywhere.” He swallowed hard before continuing, his eyes not leaving mine.

“I have a family. A wonderful wife and four children. I love them so much, and I honestly don't want anything to happen to them. Do you now understand why going to the police is not an option? I come here, do my job and get paid. I mind my business. You don't fuck with the Adams family and go scot-free. Don't even think about it.”

My eyes widened, and my heart clattered in my chest. All of a sudden, the room seemed too small, and I was beginning to sweat.

“The Adams family?”

“You heard right, miss. Now, I believe you'll let me do my job in peace, won't you?”