Chapter 1: A new begining for Ellaine Santiago

"Ellaine!"

Dave shouted loudly as I felt myself falling from a high cliff into a strong rush of the falls. Suddenly, all my memories flashed back to me, from my childhood to the present moment.

Eventually, I felt the impact of my head hitting a large rock, and then I lost track of what happened next. I woke up in a private room with a serene view of leaves and plants swaying gently in the wind, soothing me and helping me relax in a way that made me forget the troubles that caged me.

I sat up slowly and felt a throbbing pain in my head, leading me to touch it and realize a bandage was wrapped around my head.

"You're awake."

A man's voice came from the door of my room. I immediately looked at him and was almost mesmerized by his attractive appearance. He had a strong physique and a mestizo look with porcelain-like skin and a sharp nose, making me feel shy when our eyes met.

"How are you feeling? Are you hungry? Would you like to eat?"

He asked me a series of questions, prompting me to finally speak and ask him, "Who are you, and what am I doing here?"

"I'm Ken Xiao. I saw you when I was camping at Gayonan Falls. Can I ask if you remember anything about what happened to you?"

His face showed surprise, making me ponder his words. No matter what I did to remember, my head only ached from thinking too much about the truth and why I ended up at Gayonan Falls as he mentioned.

"Don't worry about remembering for now; your head might just hurt. For now, you need to rest and eat a lot to regain your energy."

"But-"

I couldn't continue my next sentence as he spoke again.

"Don't worry; I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't harm you."

His words left me speechless, despite the multitude of questions swirling in my mind. I thought maybe he was right, and I needed to rest and eat plenty to return to normal quickly.

Later on that night,

While I was busy arranging my bed, I decided to leave my room and grabbed the cane by the wall to walk towards the door. There, I saw myself in a mirror full of bruises on my body and face, hindering my walk due to my sprained feet. I suddenly felt pity for myself and wondered what truly happened to me.

But I brushed aside those thoughts and started twisting the doorknob to open it. After stepping out of my room, I slowly descended the stairs, but before I could fully descend, Ken, who had just arrived at the Mansion, immediately met me, attracting the attention of the other housekeepers and even Manang Minda.

"What are you doing here? Why didn't you just call Manang Minda to help you come down here?"

I saw deep concern on his face, reminiscent of someone I had seen in a man before. They helped me sit in the living room, and that's when I noticed how vast their Mansion was.

"Are you okay?"

Ken asked me, still not at ease.

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry, and I'm sorry for causing you concern."

"Next time, just call Manang, okay? Your room has a telephone to avoid such situations. It's hard to know what might happen, especially in your condition."

"Okay, I apologize."

I felt guilty for what I did, thinking I might cause Manang Minda and the others to lose their jobs.

"Why did you come out of your room?" Ken asked me.

"I just wanted some fresh air."

"I see... Manang Minda, please get the wheelchair from the storage room and bring it out."

"Yes, Sir."