CHAPTER 5

"Mother... please. I don't want to marry that old guy," Daphne sobbed, dropping to her knees on the cold floor. She grabbed the hem of Rose's shirt, her voice breaking with raw terror. "Please, Mom. I'll drop out of school. I don't care about college anymore... just don't make me do this."

"Stop this ridiculous acting, Daphne! Stop crying!" Rose barked, though she deliberately looked away, unable to stop the tears from tracing down her own cheeks. "I thought you were smart. Why aren't you using your brain? Huh? Your life is going to be perfect, baby... Just listen to me. I know exactly what is best for you!"

"I don't want it, Mother... please..." Daphne whimpered, burying her face in her hands.

Rose felt her hands drop to her sides, her posture slumping under an ancient, suffocating exhaustion. "I am so tired, Daphne... Please. You are my only hope to get out of this miserable, filthy life. What will you do in return for all the agonizing sacrifices I made to raise you? Is this how you're going to repay me?"

"But Mom, I can work a normal job—"

"Enough!" Rose shouted, slamming the bedroom door shut and leaving Daphne alone in the dim hallway.

Driven by a blinding, primal fear, Daphne's young mind fractured under the weight of the pressure, pushing her toward a reckless decision.

Later that night, while her mother was fast asleep, Daphne quietly slipped out of the house. She grabbed the duffel bag that Rose had already packed for her upcoming move to Mr. Bolat's mansion. Wandering aimlessly into the dark, rain-slicked streets, she stumbled from one neighborhood to the next. Her meager savings dwindled to absolutely nothing over the passing days, but her mind was numb to the hunger. No matter how bad things got on the streets, she had no intention of ever going back.

"So, what exactly are you planning to do, my dear brother?" Cara asked, her voice laced with cynical amusement as they walked back into the family mansion. They had just returned from a tense meeting with the family lawyers regarding their late parents' last will and testament.

Craig turned to her, his jaw tight with stress. "What do you think?!"

"I don't know..." Cara shrugged, casually shaking her head. "It's your mess to fix."

"Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Craig shouted as his twin sister abruptly turned on her heel and headed back toward the front door.

"I don't know, Craig! Anywhere but here!" she yelled back over her shoulder, throwing the heavy oak doors open.

Craig groaned in irritation, rubbing his temples as the roar of Cara’s sports car echoed down the driveway.

Cara drove aggressively, her mind racing as she tore down the winding roads to clear her head. Suddenly, a figure materialized in her headlights. Cara slammed her foot onto the brake pedal, the tires screeching violently against the asphalt as the car jolted to a punishing halt.

"What the heck?!" Cara blurted out in shock.

Panting, she leaned over the steering wheel. When she raised her eyes, she saw a young woman collapsed on the pavement just inches from her front bumper.

Cara threw the door open and rushed out into the humid air. "Hey! Miss! Are you alright? I am so, so sorry," she gasped, gently hooking her arms under Daphne’s shoulders to help her stand.

"I'm fine..." Daphne whispered, her voice barely audible. But the moment her green eyes locked onto Cara's face, she froze, utterly stunned by the older girl's striking beauty.

"I'm taking you to the hospital right now," Cara insisted, guiding the trembling girl into the passenger seat.

As the passenger door clicked shut, Daphne looked around the luxurious interior, completely awestruck. "Wow..." she whispered, unable to contain her amazement.

Cara caught the look and offered a warm, soft smile. "You like it?"

"Yes," Daphne replied softly, a small glimmer of comfort breaking through her exhaustion. "Your car is beautiful. And the air conditioning is so cold."

At the hospital, the staff immediately rushed Daphne into an examination room. True to her word, Cara never left the girl's side, waiting patiently until the nurse finished cleaning and bandaging her scrapes.

Once they were back in the car, Cara adjusted her mirrors. "Where do you live? I'll drive you home."

"No!" Daphne cried out, her sudden panic catching Cara completely off guard.

"Huh? Why not? I'm just trying to help," Cara said gently. "And by the way, I'm Cara... what's your name?"

"It's Daphne," she answered, quickly looking away and fixating on the passing scenery outside the window.

Daphne's mind raced. This stranger looked and spoke like an absolute angel. Desperation forced her to take a leap of faith. She tilted her head back toward Cara, who was expertly navigating the heavy traffic.

"The truth is... um... I ran away from home," Daphne confessed, her voice cracking as fresh tears began to fall. "I'm just a vagabond now. I've been sleeping on the road. I've been trying to find a job, but..." She couldn't finish the sentence, a heavy sob cutting her off.

"Hey... please don't cry," Cara uttered softly, her tone deeply tender as she reached over to pat Daphne's knee. "I really hate seeing people cry."

Daphne took a deep breath, aggressively wiping her damp cheeks to calm herself down.

"Alright, how about this?" Cara mused, looking between the road and her passenger. "I'll take you to my place for now. You can stay with us while you look for a decent job. I can even talk to my brother and see if he can help you find something."

"Really?!" Daphne's eyes widened with pure disbelief. In her excitement, she instinctively placed her hand on Cara's forearm.

The moment she realized what she had done, Daphne recoiled as if burned, her face flushing with deep embarrassment. "Ah—I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have touched you."

Cara simply chuckled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "It's completely fine."

"Thank you, Miss Cara," Daphne beamed, a radiant, genuine smile lighting up her face for the first time in days.

"Craig! I'm back!" Cara shouted the moment they stepped into the grand foyer of the mansion.

Daphne walked behind her, her green eyes darting wildly across the soaring ceilings, marble floors, and crystal chandeliers. She stood paralyzed, unable to comprehend that a residential house could actually be this massive.

"Who the hell is she?!" Craig demanded, marching down the grand staircase and stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Daphne's disheveled state.

Cara completely ignored his aggressive tone, turning instead to a senior housekeeper. "Mrs. Jones, this is my new friend, Daphne. Please take good care of her. And, um... she needs a hot bath immediately."

Daphne's chest tightened with sudden shame. Seeing the subtle twist in Cara's expression, she realized how terribly she must smell after spending nearly a week sleeping on the streets.

"You still haven't answered my question, Cara!" Craig snapped, his forehead creasing with deep lines of irritation. "What kind of nonsense are you pulling now? Huh?! I have enough problems to deal with today without you bringing random street kids into the house."

Cara took a deep, steadying breath and looked her twin brother dead in the eye, a sharp, calculative smirk playing on her lips. "Actually, Craig... I just solved your biggest problem."

Craig blinked, his mind completely blanking. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean? What are you talking about?!"

"Yep! You're thinking exactly what I'm thinking, brother," Cara stated confidently, gesturing toward the bewildered teenager. "Meet your soon-to-be bride."

"Goodness, child... what on earth have you been doing?" Mrs. Jones murmured as she led Daphne up the secondary staircase. "You smell strongly of old fish and sweat. How did Miss Cara manage to sit next to you in that cramped car for so long?!"

Daphne instinctively lifted her sleeve to her nose, her cheeks burning with absolute mortification. She hadn't realized just how rancid the street grime had become until this very moment.

To distract herself from the shame, Daphne looked around the elegant hallway. "Um... Mrs. Jones? What are they like? The masters of the house?"

"Ah, Sir Craig and Miss Cara? They're twins," the older housekeeper explained as they stopped in front of a heavy mahogany door. "They are absolutely beautiful people, and genuinely kind once you get past their walls. They're Fil-Am—their late father was American, and their mother was a Filipina."

Mrs. Jones pushed the door open, revealing a stunning, sunlit bedroom. "So, this will serve as your chamber for the time being. There is a private bathroom through that door. You can manage a bath by yourself, right? I'll leave you to clean up. Just come downstairs when you're ready. Dinner will be served shortly."

The servant nodded kindly and left, closing the door behind her.

Daphne stood in the center of the room, her jaw dropping. "The size of this place is terrifying..." she whispered to herself, tracing her fingers over the plush comforter. "This one bedroom is literally the size of our entire house. They are so impossibly rich."

Downstairs in the private study, Craig was pacing the floor, practically pulling his hair out. "I absolutely hate what you are trying to force me into, Cara! You don't know a single thing about that girl. For all we know, she could be completely insane! Have you totally lost your mind?!"

"Trust me, Craig... everything is going to be perfectly fine," Cara insisted, her bright eyes flashing with a sharp, tactical brilliance. "Think about it. It’s a win-win situation for both of us."

"You always make everything sound so damn simple!" Craig roared, throwing his hands in the air. "Do you even comprehend what you're suggesting? You want me to legally marry a total stranger! Fine! Let's say I actually agree to this madness—do you honestly think she will just say yes? Huh?! It’s a garbage plan, Cara. It won't work."

"Leave the girl to me. Let me handle her, okay?" Cara stated with absolute, unwavering confidence, crossing her arms. "All you have to do is play along and go with the flow. We fulfill the clauses of the will, we secure the inheritance, and the moment the girl you actually love comes back to the country... you get a quiet divorce. Simple as that."

Craig collapsed into an armchair, staring at his twin sister as if he were completely losing his sanity.