Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The roar of the convoy’s SUV engines tore through the night at full speed, running red lights in their desperate rush to reach the main Leonardo family residence. Inside the vehicle, Damien groaned in restraint. His body temperature was scorching, making the air inside the cabin feel stifling. The veins in his temples and neck bulged prominently, revealing the immense torment gnawing away at his consciousness.

As soon as the car stopped in the mansion’s main courtyard, the guards sprang into action. Luky and one of his loyal guards, Hugo, carried Damien’s muscular yet weakened body, now drained by the deadly poison. They hurried him inside and headed straight for the master’s private bedroom.

Inside the room, the situation was already far more chaotic. Elena Leonardo—the biological mother of Damien—paced back and forth with a deathly pale face and violently trembling hands. The moment she saw her son being laid on the king-size bed in such a terrible condition, Elena’s tears immediately spilled.

“Damien! Oh, God, my son...” Elena screamed hysterically, rushing toward the bed and touching her son’s forehead, which was burning like hot coals.

A family doctor who had been urgently summoned was desperately putting away his medical equipment. The middle-aged doctor shook his head weakly, cold sweat covering his forehead.

“Madam, I have already administered the highest dose of sedatives and electrolyte fluids,” the doctor reported in a trembling voice filled with fear. “But that synthetic stimulant poison is directly attacking his central nervous system and fundamental hormones. It is an illegal military-grade poison. His body is rejecting ordinary medical antidotes. If it isn’t discharged within half an hour, the blood vessels in his brain will burst, and Mr. Damien will certainly die!”

Hearing those words, Elena’s world seemed to collapse.

“NO! Do something! Save my son! I’ll pay you whatever you ask!” Elena screamed hysterically.

“There is nothing more we can do medically, Madam...” the doctor squeaked, lowering his head in fear of the enraged matriarch. “The only way to expel the chemical from his body is... through sexual intercourse. That is the only natural detoxification method for this type of poison.”

Luky and Hugo, who were standing near the door, exchanged tense glances.

On the bed, Damien struggled weakly. Although his consciousness was already at its limit, the man’s instincts and principles remained incredibly strong. With a hoarse voice and ragged breathing, Damien gripped the bedsheets before pushing away the doctor’s hand as he tried to approach him.

“Go...” Damien hissed in a heavy voice filled with refusal. His teeth chattered as he endured the pain. “I... don’t want to... touch any woman... Keep them away from me...”

“Boss, don’t be stupid! You could die!” Luky shouted in panic as he approached his master’s bed.

“There’s no time left to find a woman or a prostitute from outside!” Elena cut in sharply, her voice filled with desperation. She stared intensely at Luky and Hugo. “You heard the doctor! My son only has a few minutes left! Hurry, order all the female servants to gather in the downstairs hall right now!”

In less than three minutes, dozens of female servants working at the mansion stood in tense rows inside the grand hall, overwhelmed by fear. They had no idea what disaster had befallen their master.

Elena quickly walked in front of the line of servants, her sharp eyes scanning their faces one by one. Most of the servants were middle-aged or married, making them unsuitable for this emergency situation. Elena’s gaze finally stopped on a young woman with shoulder-length curly hair standing in the middle of the line.

Ameena.

Although slightly plump, Ameena was the only young woman in the mansion whose official status in the eyes of the mansion’s HR department was still single—even though she was a widow with one child, none of the other servants knew that personal secret, aside from the fact that she was the wet nurse of the master’s grandson.

“You!” Elena called out, pointing directly at Ameena’s face.

Ameena, who had been keeping her head lowered in fear, jolted in surprise and looked up.

“Me, Madam?”

“Go into Damien’s room right now. Take care of him and save his life!” Elena ordered, leaving no room for refusal.

At once, whispers of envy and jealousy rumbled among the other female servants. Some of them glared at Ameena with hatred and bewilderment. Why does it have to be that fat woman? Why not me? some of the servants who considered themselves more attractive than Ameena thought bitterly.

Ameena took a step back, her face turning deathly pale until it resembled a sheet of paper. Her heart pounded violently, not because she feared the matriarch’s anger, but because she knew who was in the room upstairs—the monster who had just humiliated her the night before.

“M-Madam...” Ameena squeaked, her voice trembling violently as she shook her head firmly. “Why does it have to be me? Please forgive me... I can’t... I’m just an ordinary servant...”

“This is for my son’s life!” Elena shouted through her tears, gripping Ameena’s shoulders tightly. “You are paid handsomely to serve in this house! If Damien dies, not a single one of you will escape the wrath of the Leonardo family! Go in there, or I’ll kill you right now!”

Ameena froze, tears immediately streaming down her face. She was trapped in the most horrifying situation of her life.

At the foot of the staircase, Hugo and Sunny—the senior butler—also pleaded with desperate gestures.

“Please, Ameena...” Hugo whispered with a choked voice, looking at Ameena pleadingly. “Mr. Damien is dying upstairs. You’re our only hope right now...”

Ameena looked from one face to another. Her mind was in turmoil. She thought of Alby, her debts, and the employment contract that bound her life. But on the other hand, entering Damien’s room in this condition meant surrendering her body and soul to a starving lion.

Upstairs, the sound of Damien’s painful groans could be heard faintly, breaking the silence, followed by the sound of decorative lamps shattering as the master lashed out with his hands after losing control. Damien’s condition had truly reached the brink of death; parts of his skin were turning blue, and his breathing was becoming increasingly labored and broken.

Seeing that there was no other choice and being forced into a life-or-death situation, Ameena clenched both hands tightly until her nails dug into her own palms. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Amid the trembling that shook her entire body, she stared blankly toward the staircase above before whispering to herself with her heart shattered into pieces:

What am I supposed to do?