Chapter 1

That day, Graziel Fernandez felt like fate had slapped her across the face over and over again.

Everything started with what was supposed to be a simple meeting at the café where she worked.

All the employees stood in a straight line in front of the counter while their manager lowered his head. He didn't even have to say a word for everyone to know that something was wrong.

It was written all over his face. He looked like he didn't even want to gather them together. Graziel already knew what was coming.

Someone was going to lose their job.

Please, Lord... don't let it be me, she silently prayed as she closed her eyes. Her fingers tightened around the apron she was wearing.

"I'm so sorry," their manager said softly. He looked at each of them one by one, his eyes already turning red as if he was about to cry.

I knew it, Graziel thought.

Her guess had been right all along. Someone was definitely getting fired today.

She glanced at her coworkers. Most of them had been working there for years. Some were close to the manager, while others were among the café's best employees. Compared to them, she was the newest. There was almost no chance they would choose someone else.

She slowly closed her eyes. She couldn't afford to lose this job. She desperately needed the money.

"But... the café will be closing permanently at the end of this week."

For a moment, it felt as if the entire world had stopped moving. Someone let out a long sigh. Someone cursed under their breath and another employee burst into tears. As for Graziel… She simply stood there, frozen.

Her mind couldn't process what she had just heard.

Closing?

The word echoed repeatedly inside her head. That meant she no longer had a job. No more salary and no more money to bring home. She didn't even know how long she stood there before reality finally sank in.

Even now, while sitting inside the hospital, she still carried the heavy weight of that terrible news. She couldn't help but curse under her breath as she remembered everything that had happened earlier. She had lost her job.

Her mother sat on the hospital bed with a gentle smile on her face, but Graziel knew it wasn't real. It was only there to stop her daughter from worrying. Her mother had been sick for years. They had been fighting this battle for a very long time.

And for years, Graziel had done nothing but work hard to pay for her mother's medicine, treatments, and hospital bills.

"How's work?" her mother asked warmly.

Graziel forced herself to smile.

"It's going well, Mom."

She couldn't tell her the truth, not yet. She didn't want to give her one more reason to worry.

A few minutes later, the doctor entered the room holding a thick folder. The serious look on his face immediately made Graziel nervous. She knew that expression. Every time her mother's doctor looked like that, it always meant bad news.

Seriously... am I subscribed to unlimited problems now? She thought bitterly. I wonder when this subscription expires.

"Miss Fernandez, may I speak with you outside for a moment?" the doctor asked.

She nodded and quietly followed him into the hallway. That was where she received the second painful blow of the day.

"We need to begin a new treatment plan for your mother."

She blinked.

I knew it.

Every bad feeling she had today kept coming true. She took a deep breath before asking the question she was already afraid to hear.

"How much will it cost, Doctor?"

The doctor told her the amount. Her eyes widened.

For a second, she didn't know whether she wanted to laugh or cry. Even if she used every peso she had managed to save over the past several years… It still wouldn't be enough.

"Is... is there any other option?" she asked quietly.

The doctor sadly shook his head.

"For now, this is the best treatment available for your mother, Miss Fernandez."

She slowly nodded.

The best option...

Then why did it have to be so expensive?

After the doctor left, Graziel leaned against the cold hospital wall. She tried her hardest to stop herself from crying. She really did. But one stubborn tear escaped anyway.

She was exhausted and it felt like she had spent her entire life running, working, sacrificing, fighting, and giving everything she had. Yet somehow, it was still never enough.

She closed her eyes. She couldn't give up, not now. She wasn't allowed to because her mother needed her. If she gave up now, both of them would lose everything.

~

The next day, Graziel spent almost the entire day searching for a new job. She handed out copies of her résumé everywhere she could think of. Restaurants, hotels, convenience stores, and she even applied to several call centers. But almost every place gave her the same answer.

"We're not hiring at the moment."

Others wanted applicants with experience. By late afternoon, she was beginning to lose hope. Then she noticed a job advertisement posted outside a building.

LIVE-IN MAID NEEDED

TORRES MANSION

Her eyes quickly scanned the details. The salary was surprisingly high. Free accommodation, free meals, and according to the advertisement, qualified applicants could start immediately.

It sounded almost too good to be true. There was only one problem. The owner of the mansion was Kevin Torres. One of the richest businessmen in the country.

According to the news and countless rumors, he was also one of the most difficult people to work for.

Graziel let out a quiet sigh. At this point, she wasn't in any position to be picky. She desperately needed money. And she needed it as soon as possible. Without wasting another second, she went straight to the address written on the job posting.

She had no room for pride anymore. Even if it meant working as a maid, she would gladly do it for her sick mother. The moment she stepped out of the taxi, she almost turned around and left. The mansion standing before her was breathtaking.

Torres Mansion was enormous. It looked more like a luxurious five-star hotel than someone's home. Tall iron gates surrounded the property. Beautiful gardens stretched across the front yard. Even the elegant fountain at the entrance was bigger than the house her family used to rent.

She swallowed nervously.

What am I even doing here?

Compared to this place, she felt as tiny as an ant. But it was already too late to back out. She had come here for a job.

Taking a deep breath, she walked through the entrance. She was immediately greeted by a woman who looked to be in her fifties. The woman stood perfectly straight with a serious expression.

"You are Graziel Fernandez?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'm Mrs. Santos, the head housekeeper."

Graziel politely nodded.

Mrs. Santos immediately began showing her around the mansion. As they walked through the endless hallways, she explained all the rules of the house. But honestly, Graziel barely heard any of them.

She was too busy staring at the mansion. It was so unbelievably huge that she wasn't even sure if it could still be called a house.

Do the people living here even see each other every day? she wondered.

"You are not allowed to interfere with Mr. Torres' personal life."

Graziel nodded.

"You are not allowed to enter his office without permission."

She nodded again.

"No taking photographs anywhere inside the mansion."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And most importantly..." Mrs. Santos suddenly stopped walking and looked directly into her eyes. "Never give Mr. Torres a reason to fire you."

Graziel blinked. Is he really that strict?

Mrs. Santos sighed deeply.

"In just two years, eleven maids have already quit."

Graziel's eyes grew wide.

"Eleven?"

Mrs. Santos nodded. "If you want to stay here for a long time, simply do your job well."

A wave of nervousness washed over Graziel. Still, she quickly gathered her courage. She needed this job, for her mother and for their future. Giving up was never an option.

After the long orientation, she was given a simple maid's uniform. Her very first assignment was to clean one of the hallways on the second floor. The mansion was unbelievably quiet. The silence felt strange, almost uncomfortable, as if no one actually lived there. The only sound echoing through the hallway was the soft movement of her cleaning cloth.

While she focused on her work, she eventually noticed that it had already grown dark outside. She hadn't realized how many hours had passed. Carrying a box filled with cleaning supplies, she walked down the long hallway. Because she was in such a hurry, she failed to notice someone approaching from the opposite direction.

They collided.

"Oh!"

The box slipped from her hands. Cleaning bottles, towels, and brushes scattered all over the polished floor. Her eyes widened in panic.

"W-Wait! I'm so sorry—"

She immediately knelt down to pick everything up but the moment she raised her head… She froze.

The man standing before her was tall and unbelievably handsome. His sharp jawline gave him a cold appearance. His perfectly straight nose made his features even more striking but it was his icy eyes that caught her attention the most.

They were so cold and unreadable that it felt as though he could see through every secret she had ever tried to hide. She didn't need to ask who he was. She already knew.

Kevin Torres.

The owner of the mansion. Her billionaire employer. He silently looked down at her without the slightest trace of emotion and not even a small smile. There wasn't a single hint of kindness on his face.

Under his cold gaze, Graziel suddenly felt like a student who had been caught cheating during an exam.

"I'm... I'm sorry, sir," she said quickly.

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked at her and then at the cleaning supplies scattered across the floor. Then back at her again. He made no move to help.

Finally, he spoke.

"I hope you last longer than the others."

After saying those cold words, he simply walked past her without looking back, leaving Graziel kneeling on the floor in complete silence.