Chapter 2 — The Price of Being Saved

I opened the door and stepped into the TV lounge. The warmth hit me like a wall after the biting cold outside, mingling with the hum of the heaters.

Everyone’s heads turned at the sound of my footsteps. Faces lifted in smiles, quickly fading as they took in the state I was in. Dad’s eyes narrowed, scanning me sharply.

Mom’s lips parted, a faint tremor in her expression, as if she could sense the storm inside me. Alexa froze mid-gesture, fingers hovering over the armrest, eyes wide and alert. Even the house staff exchanged nervous glances, quick and uneasy.

The usual chatter vanished. Every gaze latched onto me, questions unspoken but loud in their eyes. I swayed slightly, struggling to keep my balance as my legs wavered. Words tangled somewhere behind my teeth.

Dad moved toward me, quickening his pace. 

“Jenna… you came.” I took hesitant steps into his arms. He pulled me close, pressing warmth and reassurance against my frail frame.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” he murmured, placing a soft kiss on my forehead, his hands cupping my face, thumbs brushing over my cheeks as he studied me.

I clung to him, tears carving tracks down my cheeks. My body shook uncontrollably, from cold, fear, and relief.

“What happened to my girl?” he asked, easing me back slightly, hands resting on my shoulders. His gaze lingering as he took in every detail of my face. The steadiness of his touch contrasted with the worry in his grayish-blue eyes.

Mom stepped closer behind me, hand settling lightly on my back. Alexa stayed frozen behind Dad, eyes darting uncertainly among us.

I balled my hands into fists at my sides, knuckles whitening, and felt my shoulders lock. My heart pounded, each beat hammering in my ears.

“Jenna… please, tell us,” Mom whispered, but my throat constricted, lips quivering.

I pressed my face against Dad’s chest, seeking an anchor, and my loud sobs soaked his shirt. Alexa hurried forward with a glass of water, her movements tense, as if bracing for another episode... while Dad guided me gently to the couch.

I didn’t know how I would ever feel safe again.

Time skipped

Half an hour had passed since I arrived, but I hadn’t spoken a word about the incident. I had taken a warm bath and changed into clean, cozy clothes, which did little to calm the tremors still running through me, though it softened the ache in my muscles.

I sat on the edge of the bed, wrapped in the duvet. My damp blonde hair clung to my neck and shoulders, and the faint scent of shampoo reminded me of normalcy I could hardly feel. The room was quiet, save for the gentle hum of the heater. No one had come to disturb me, an unspoken respect I had come to know well in this house.

I stared at the far wall, letting my thoughts drift without forming words. Everything I had endured tonight replayed in my mind: the knock with the gun, the men’s sharp eyes, the dangerous way they moved. The impact of it all pressed against me as if I could still feel it on my skin.

Besides that, my mind clung to the images, the bloody bodies on the footpath, the unknown car that had appeared just to save me. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Who could it be? Who had the power to take down those men in the crowd? And why would anyone do it for me when I had nothing to do with them?

Then my thoughts returned to the man from the mansion. Why had he stepped in to help? Why had he given me the black card? Could he be connected to the man in the car? Was I missing something important?

Even the familiar weight of my family’s gaze felt absent, leaving only the echo of the storm outside and my own ragged breathing, until a soft knock broke the silence.

“Miss Jenna?” The maid’s gentle voice came from outside, carrying decades of familiarity I could never mistake.

“I… yes?” I croaked, not moving.

She entered quietly, balancing a small tray. On it rested a steaming cup of tea, two boiled eggs, and a slice of bread. She placed it on the nightstand beside me.

“You need something warm,” she said softly. Her eyes met mine for a brief second, reflecting understanding and care. “Tell me when you want dinner. I’ll leave you to rest now.”

I nodded, my hands trembling slightly as I accepted the cup. The warmth from the tea spread slowly through my fingers and chest, grounding me in the present.

“I… I don’t have much of an appetite. This is enough for now,” I said, offering a pale smile, a habit I’d inherited from Mom. I sipped slowly, letting the heat from the tea anchor me.

“If you need anything, just call for me,” she said, voice gentle. “I’ll be in my room. You can ring me whenever.” Her glance flicked toward the PTCL phone on the side table, the same system everyone in the house used to reach the servants in their apartments.

She lingered for a moment, studying me with quiet concern, then quietly left. I was alone again, the weight of reality settling around me.

Hours passed, and I still wasn’t ready to sleep. It wasn’t that I wasn’t tired, my mind refused to quiet itself. I wanted to know why he didn’t say a word after calling me home tonight.

I slid down the bed, pulled on my slippers, and cast a cautious glance around the dimly lit room before stepping out. Halfway across the living room, I sensed movement behind me. I turned, and there was Alexa, framed in the doorway of her room, one hand on the knob, that same wide smile on her face.

“Are you good now?” Alexa’s voice floated behind me as she stepped into the hall, coming closer. “You really had us worried.”

I shrugged, moving toward the coffee table in the TV lounge. My fingers closed around an apple, its smooth skin cool under my touch. “Better than before.” I bit into it, the crisp sweetness grounding me for a moment.

“When did you come, Alex…”

Before I could get another word out, the sound of pounding footsteps thundered up the stairs. Dad came barreling into the room, his face pale, eyes wide with a storm I had never seen before. He grabbed my forearms just as I was about to bite the apple.

“Jenna! You… you were trapped on the road?” His voice cut through the quiet like a knife, tight with fear and anger.

I blinked at him, my stomach dropping. “Yes… Dad… but how…”

He didn’t give me a chance to finish. He shook me lightly, and the apple rolled across the floor. His jaw clenched. He ran a hand over his hair, muttering under his breath, then fixed me with a stare that made my blood run cold.

“What… why did they trap you? Why didn’t you call me, Jenna?”

I glanced at Alexa, whose wide eyes mirrored my own terror. Dad’s gaze flicked between us, searching for answers.

“I… I treated their patient, Dad,” I said, my voice trembling. “The woman… she was their boss’s wife, someone from the underworld. She went missing. They stopped me on the road and forced me to go with them.”

He released my shoulders slowly, though my legs still threatened to buckle. For a moment, he stood there, frozen, as if trying to collect himself. Then his face darkened, the color draining from his cheeks.

“And the man in the car…” His voice dropped, low and unforgiving, like thunder rolling through a hollow valley.

“The one who took those men down, Jenna. Look at me. Did he tell… Did he speak to you?”

I went rigid. My tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth. For a second, the world narrowed to the sound of my own breathing. I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them, forcing the words out.

“How do you know all of this, Dad?” My voice cracked. “Who told you?”

His jaw clenched. The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating. Then he spoke, flat but edged with something darker.

“He wasn’t some stranger. He’s the man who’s chosen you.”

The reality hit me like a bolt from the blue, freezing my blood in its tracks.

“The man who will turn our lives into hell if you refuse,” he continued, e

ach word striking like a blow. “The man who saved you tonight… because you already belong to him.”