Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The silence that enveloped the nursery gradually became suffocating. Damien was still standing there, frozen in place, the image of Ameena’s face flushed with anger still etched clearly into his mind. Just moments ago, a servant—a woman who was far beneath him in the hierarchy—had dared to shout at him, call him a monster, and challenge him with courage that was almost incomprehensible.

Throughout his life, Damien had been surrounded by women who constantly praised and admired him, competing with one another to attract his attention through every cunning means imaginable. They all wanted his wealth, his power, or simply the thrill of becoming the wife of a mafia king. Yet, the woman standing before him had looked at him with nothing but pure hatred. There was no feigned respect, no seduction, only profound exhaustion and the determination of a mother fighting for her child’s life.

Without saying a word, Damien turned around. His heavy footsteps left slightly bloodstained boot prints across the expensive carpet of the room. He walked out without looking back, leaving Ameena still frozen on the floor, breathing heavily.

The moment the door closed firmly behind him, Ameena collapsed. She sank to the floor, tightly wrapping her arms around her knees. Her tears broke free once again, this time not because she was afraid of Damien’s threats, but because of the deep regret weighing on her heart.

“How stupid of me...” Ameena whispered between sobs. “I should have just kept quiet. I shouldn’t have provoked his anger. What if he fires me? What if he throws me out? Alby... I’m sorry, my son. I have to stay here, no matter what it takes.”

Ameena closed her eyes, imagining Alby’s face in the hospital. That was the only thing keeping her sane in this cursed place. She did not care if she had to be insulted, cursed at, or become the target of Damien’s anger, as long as she could send money for her son’s medical treatment.

Meanwhile, Damien walked down the mansion corridor toward his private study. His thoughts were a mess. He remembered his late wife. Once, she had been the only person who was never afraid to reprimand or protest against his cruel actions. And now, this fat servant woman... her courage had the same intensity. Damn it, that only made him feel even more unsettled.

In his study, Luky, Damien’s trusted confidant, was already waiting for him with an expression more tense than usual.

“Boss, how is the situation?” Luky asked as he prepared the report documents from the battle the previous night.

Damien dropped himself into his chair, massaging the bridge of his nose, which throbbed painfully. “They were just a small-time weapons syndicate. We’ve taken them out. But forget about that, Luky. How is the search for the woman who helped me in the forest?”

Luky lowered his head deeply, his expression filled with guilt. “There’s still no lead, Boss. We searched every corner of that forest for several kilometers. There’s no new clue besides that silver earring. We even intercepted every woman around that district, but not a single one matched the brief description you gave us. It seems that woman really disappeared as if the earth swallowed her whole.”

Damien squeezed his eyes shut. Frustration crashed into his chest like a tidal wave. He cursed under his breath, his voice low and heavy with irritation. “Damn it! Who was that woman, really? Why did she have to leave after saving me? Why didn’t she leave her name, or at least wait until I regained consciousness?”

Damien tried to recall the memories of that damned night. His memory of the woman’s face was always hazy, like a shadow erased by fog. He remembered the very specific warmth, the sensation of sucking at her lips that had given him life when he was on the verge of death, yet the woman’s face remained beyond the reach of his memory. The image of himself nursing from that woman resurfaced in his mind, an intimate memory that tormented him with desire, yet every time he tried to focus on the face of his savior, the image always dissolved.

“Keep searching,” Damien ordered coldly. “Don’t leave even the slightest gap. I won’t be able to sleep peacefully until I look directly into her eyes and repay that debt of life.”

Luky nodded firmly and immediately turned to leave, leaving Damien alone in his study.

Damien closed his eyes again. He tried desperately not to associate Ameena with his memory of the woman in the forest. To Damien, Ameena was merely a servant who happened to be staying in his mansion, an unfortunate woman whose life had been struck by misfortune, and most importantly: she was not that woman. His mind desperately tried to separate the two figures. He refused to acknowledge that his heartbeat followed the same rhythm whenever he was near Ameena or whenever he imagined his savior.

Elsewhere in the mansion, Bella Saphira was busy inside her luxurious car, parked not far from the back gate of the Leonardo mansion. She held a small velvet box containing the silver earring that Barca had perfectly duplicated. The earring looked worn, deliberately made to appear old so that Damien would not suspect it was a new item.

“Good,” Bella whispered with a wide smirk. “Tomorrow, I’ll come with this earring as an excuse. Damien will believe me because he’s already desperate to find that woman. And at that very moment, I’ll make sure the position of Mrs. Damien’s servant becomes mine.”

Bella felt that victory was already within her grasp.

Back in the servant’s room, Ameena, who had finally managed to close her eyes, was awakened again by the sound of footsteps passing in front of her room. This mansion never truly slept. There were always guards on duty, and tension always lurked around every corner.

She stared at her worn-out wallet, which was tucked beneath her pillow. Inside was one half of an earring that she still kept as a reminder of her husband’s past.

“I have to find the other half of this earring. Even though the chances are extremely slim.”