Chapter 1

For us, overseas Filipino workers, nothing could be more exciting than going home. Being away from our family is never easy, but it’s better that way than to cry in hopelessness when something goes wrong and you don’t have enough savings to go on.

I worked for almost three years as a kitchen assistant at Martin’s mansion in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. It was all a stroke of luck when I got picked by the agency to be a servant and later chosen to be the assistant of our boss’ personal chef.

My experience as a kitchen helper at the school canteen where I studied college was something they saw in my resume for me to be assigned to the kitchen. 

Well, that was something I never thought would push me into that position. 

I was only twenty-one when I accepted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from an agency that went to our province, Tanay, Rizal. I spent two of my birthdays away from my family.

And four months was not a long period compared to the months I had already spent in the mansion. 

I didn’t know where to put the overflowing excitement I was getting every single day, but everything suddenly became a rollercoaster ride, and who would have ever thought I would be able to meet someone that would turn my world upside-down? 

That day, I was on my day off. I planned on getting a huge carton box where I would be putting all the ‘pasalubong’ for my family, friends, and neighbors. I planned on sending the box a month before my flight. 

I needed the box to measure how much stuff I could put inside. If I need more or if I need to decrease. The staff of a local store downtown gave me the size of the box I was looking for, but it became a problem when I was about to return to the mansion.

The box was kind of heavy for a five-foot-tall, petite woman to carry by herself. I also bought chocolates and boxes of bath soap. 

People were staring at me when I was walking on the street while I struggled to carry the carton box on the sidewalk. Some men offered help, and some stared at me with judgment because I was blocking their way.

I didn’t mind them, but I got pissed off when taxi drivers ignored me. It took me a couple of minutes of waiting until a pickup truck suddenly stopped in front of me, and this guy who seemed around my age asked if I wanted a ride. 

His grayish-blue eyes were mesmerizing to stare at. He was a good-looking man, but I didn’t want to be deceived by those pleasant features the man had. I got scared deep inside because there were numerous news stories about missing women every day. I had just recently watched a documentary about a handsome guy who murdered numerous individuals, most of whom were women.

“N-No, thank you,” I answered politely. 

“Come on, my dad is a sheriff. I’m not a bad person. My name is Adam Cassidy. This is my ID.” He introduced himself without me asking.

I was honestly shocked by the way he wanted to prove he was not like those people in my head at that time. But still...

“They won’t let you ride a taxi with that huge carton box, young lady. You need to fold it and end up ruining it if so,” he said, just to convince me. 

He was right with his words, though. It had been an hour since I tried calling a taxi, but none of them stopped for me.

I suddenly thought of what he said. Fold it in half, or maybe a quarter. 

“Are you sure you’re not a serial killer?” I asked bluntly, which made him chuckle.

I bit my lower lip and bowed my head. Because if I was wrong, it was a shame on my part to jump to that kind of conclusion. 

“Hey, Lory!” I raised my head to check who he was calling. A woman who just came out of the door of a coffee shop not far from where I stood stopped and searched around to see who called her.

“Lory!” The guy inside the pickup truck shouted her name again.

She saw him by that time, and she stepped forward after recognizing who it was, and she smiled.

“Yes, Adam?” the woman asked. 

“Can you answer this woman’s question for me?” he politely requested. 

“What question?” the woman inquired. I noticed the smile on her lips became wider, and it seemed she had something silly in her mind.

“Well, she’s asking me if I am a serial killer,” he repeated, and he couldn’t contain his laughter, making his face turn red while he chuckled.

The woman, whom she called Lory, laughed with him. It put me to shame because they were laughing at me.

“Oh, lady. Believe me, that guy couldn’t even kill a fly. He’s a good boy,” she answered.

“See?” the man proudly uttered.

“He won’t harm you, but be careful; he knows how to bite. Rawr!” she later added. 

“Hey! I won’t try doing that. Take that back, Lory!”

“Haha! I’m just kidding. By the way, he’s single,” Lory said and winked at me before leaving.

“Come on, let me help you,” the guy uttered, and he went out of the vehicle to help me put the carton box and things I bought inside the pickup.

He even opened the door for me like a gentleman. I was instantly impressed with his gestures because I believed that in modern times there were no such things anymore.

“Where are we heading, madam?” he asked when he was already in the driver’s seat while putting on his seatbelt.

“At Mr. Martin’s residence,” I answered. There was so much disbelief written all over his face. 

“You mean at William Scott-Martin’s mansion? Are you working there?” he inquired.

“Y-yes... and yes.” I wasn’t surprised at all by his reaction. My boss was a well-known person, but what he said next made me think of jumping out of the vehicle. 

“You know what? Mr. William’s son is my mortal enemy.” I saw a grin on the side of his lips. noticeable enough for me to feel uncomfortable back in the mansion.

“But don’t worry, that won’t make us,” he added after starting the engine.

That didn’t even help. The fear he made me feel didn’t decrease at all. I want to believe he won’t ask me to pay for Sir Lennon’s because I have nothing to do with their problems.

As the vehicle started moving, he fixed his eyes on the road, but he never stopped talking, telling me stories, even though I didn’t even give comments on any of them.

I would admit that the way he talked was entertaining. He made me listen, even though those stories were random, and he kept jumping from one story to another.

I kept observing him. His voice changes and there were times he tried mimicking voices from cartoons. 

He seemed like a jolly person, and he put me in awe when he suddenly started singing. ‘Night Changes’ is a song by One Direction. 

His voice was calming. I didn’t even notice we had already reached it because of all the entertainment he provided.

“Here, take this.” I handed him twenty dollars, but he refused to take it.

“Just keep that money. You might need it more than I do,” he insisted. He went out to get the carton box at the back, and I followed through. 

His words had something that suddenly made me nervous. I didn’t know why, but my mind was left blank for a few seconds before I managed to repeat a word.

“A-Are you sure?” I stammered, still showing the paper bill when he handed me the carton box. 

“Yes. I didn’t help you get paid. Just keep that money,” he replied while smiling sweetly at me. 

He was tall, so I needed to look up when talking to him, and the bright morning made me narrow my eyes because it was blinding me. “T-thank you then. I owe you one.”

“N-No really, it’s fine... but who knows, maybe we could see each other again, and I might need your help by that time.”

“You’re right. That’s a fair deal.” He finally convinced me.

“You’re cute.” My eyes widened when I heard this compliment. He pats my head before turning his back on me.

I felt like a dog getting a pat that way, and all I could do was stare with a frown at him while he walked away.

As I reached the servants' quarter, I immediately changed my clothes and assembled the carton box I had brought. Securing it by covering it with packaging tape, starting from the bottom to the top and from side to side. I made myself busy with that box when Ms. Peters suddenly arrived.

“W-what are you trying to do with that?” I was startled when she suddenly spoke behind me.

I stopped what I was doing and looked at her with a smile. She pushed the door wide open and walked in while speaking, “I thought something happened to you! One of the servants told me you came back early.” 

Ms. Peters seemed so worried. 

“W-what made you think so? I’m short and petite, Ms. Peters, but I could break a neck,” I jokingly uttered, but if only she knew how scared I was when Adam asked me for a ride, for sure she would laugh out loud.

“You’re small enough and easy to carry, my dear Anita,” she sarcastically replied.

“Ouch! That’s so harsh of you.” I pouted. She hurt my feelings, but she didn’t seem worried. 

“By the way, Ms. Peters, do you know a sheriff with the surname Cassidy around here?” 

She stopped laughing and paused for a few seconds before answering my query. “I know a guy, but he’s not a sheriff. Gary Cassidy is the chief of police here, one of William’s good friends. Why?”

That made me confused. 

“There’s a guy who gave me a ride a while ago, he introduced himself as the son of a sheriff. I thought he was a bad guy, but the server from a coffee shop convinced me he was not the person I thought him to be,” I answered.

“Oh, does that young man happen to have gray eyes and his name is Adam?" 

“Y-yeah, that was the name he gave me.” 

“Did he also tell you that he is Lennon’s mortal enemy?”

“Y-yes, he did. H-how did you...?” Ms. Peters made me more confused.

“That silly boy,” she murmured, and later on chuckled. 

Ms. Peters couldn’t contain her laughter. I was intrigued by the guy’s identity and connection with the Williams’. 

It made me think—maybe he lied to me. 

I wanted to ask her more, but the ringing of my cell phone sitting on top of my bed just behind me abruptly diverted my attention. It was an overseas call coming from my younger brother in the Philippines. I pressed the green button on the screen right away and heard my brother’s anxious voice. I let him speak, and hearing the news made me shiver with worries and fear.