Chapter 1

The ice-cold air conditioning in the arrivals hall blasted against my skin as the PA system announced international landings.

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, my phone vibrating non-stop in my palm.

Notifications from the group chat were flying up the screen.

The group name made my stomach turn.

[Congrats to Marcus on his new ugly maid!]

The old photo posted by Jason had already been turned into cruel memes by everyone in the chat.

In that photo, my skin was rough and breaking out, but the worst part was my severe buckteeth.

That was me before I left for London three years ago.

The guys in the group were loving every second of it.

[@Jason Dude, even with the lights off, that face would give a guy nightmares.]

[Holy shit, Jason, you’re brutal! She looks frightening! Marcus got totally scammed!]

[A bet's a bet, Marcus! You gotta bring the monster to the yacht party tomorrow! No excuses!]

Someone immediately started a poll in the chat.

[Betting cash: Will the ugly maid dare to wear a bikini tomorrow?]

Jason didn't hesitate. He dropped ten grand into the pool.

He voted "No."

A second later, he sent a voice note to the group, his tone dripping with arrogant amusement.

"Sorry to ruin your eyes, bro. A hundred grand poker debt wiped clean, plus you get a free clown to laugh at for a month."

I stared at the screen. I didn't leave the group.

Instead, I calmly took screenshots of every single message and poll result.

A call popped up at the top of my screen.

It was Jason.

I hit answer and immediately slid my finger across the screen to activate call recording.

A small red indicator began to pulse steadily in the top corner.

"Hey, Lily. You saw the group chat, right?"

Jason’s voice came through the speaker, heavy with his usual commanding tone.

"A bet’s a bet. Tomorrow you're going to Marcus's place to play maid. If you refuse, I’ll make sure your family can never show their faces in this town again."

My fingers tightened around the phone.

"Jason, I’m your fiancée. You gambled me away to settle a debt?"

He let out a harsh laugh over the line.

"So what if you're my fiancée? If it wasn't for your family's business, do you really think I would ever touch an ugly freak like you?

"Marcus letting you work as his maid is a privilege.

"Show up at the marina on time tomorrow. Don't embarrass me."

As if on cue, Marcus Reid finally popped up in the group chat to join the fun.

He tagged my handle directly.

[@Lily Make sure you wear that bikini, ugly. Don't ruin my mood. If you're late tomorrow, I'll make sure your family business goes under.]

Below his message, a row of cronies spammed.

[Marcus is the boss!]

Watching the insults roll across the screen, a cold smile touched my lips.

I took a deep breath, typed on the keyboard, and sent a reply in a pathetically timid tone.

[I'll go tomorrow. Please don't break off the engagement.]

The moment the text sent, the group exploded into even wilder laughter.

Jason seemed thoroughly satisfied with my desperate submission.

Less than a minute later, he sent a PDF through a private message.

The title read: [Voluntary Service & Debt Settlement Agreement]

Jason followed up with a voice note.

"Sign the agreement online now, and you'll ink your thumbprint tomorrow. Black and white, so you can't back out.”