Chapter 2

I let out a long sigh. Clara's orders were absolute. If I didn't come, she'd get angry. I already knew how terrible her anger could be. Things could go flying, her words could cut sharper than knives, and I could get thrown out of this mansion.

So I walked through the mansion's long corridors. Expensive paintings hung on both sides of the walls in gleaming golden frames. I often wondered how much a single painting cost. Maybe enough to support my life for a year or two.

I passed the spacious living room, the huge kitchen I never used because I had my own tiny kitchen behind my room. I passed the curved staircase leading to the Leon family's bedrooms, a place I had never stepped into because I was only a servant.

The backyard of the mansion was enormous. There was a garden filled with flowers cared for daily by gardeners. There was a white gazebo with soft couches inside, and at the far end, a crystal-blue swimming pool shimmered beneath the sunlight.

Clara was swimming in that pool.

Her long light brown hair clung wetly to her back. Her swimming style was graceful and practiced, like a mermaid showing off. I knew she had once competed in a national swimming competition and won. Of course, rich people could buy everything, including the best swimming coaches.

She stopped at the edge of the pool when she saw me approaching. "Finally. You took forever."

"Sorry, I was..."

"Enough. Stop making excuses."

She pointed toward a lounge chair beside the pool. "I already prepared a swimsuit for you over there. Hurry up and change!"

I turned toward the chair she meant. A red bikini was lying there. The cut was tiny, way too tiny. A triangle top with thin strings and bottoms that were barely more than two small pieces of fabric.

"I can't wear that," I said.

"Why not?"

"It's too revealing, and I can't swim."

The three men were still playing billiards near the pool. The green table stood inside an open pavilion with a glass roof, only a few meters away from where I stood. I could hear the sound of billiard balls colliding and, in between, the men's low laughter.

Clara's father, Mr. Leon, held a billiard cue in one hand. His suit jacket was gone, and the sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing muscular arms that didn't look old at all. His two friends, middle-aged men with similar appearances, stood around the table. Their names were Adrian and Sebastian.

"Hurry up and put it on!"

"No, Clara. I'm embarrassed."

"Embarrassed? You wear clothes like a trash picker every day without feeling embarrassed, and now you're embarrassed to wear a swimsuit?"

I stayed silent.

Clara raised her voice. "Put it on right now, Ana! Or do you want me to kick you out of this house? I can tell Dad that all you ever do is steal food from the kitchen!"

The three men looked up. The sounds of billiards stopped. I could feel their gazes from afar, sharp and curious, like they were watching an entertaining show.

Mr. Leon placed the billiard cue on the table. He walked toward the pool with calm but firm steps.

"Clara, what's going on?"

Clara immediately changed. From an angry girl into a spoiled daughter in front of her father.

"Dad, Ana won't listen to me. I only asked her to try swimming for a bit, but she keeps refusing."

Mr. Leon looked at me. His black eyes were sharp, as if they could see through every layer of excuses and lies. I lowered my head, not daring to look back at him.

"Ana, do what she says. It's not difficult."

"But, sir..."

"No buts. You work here, and you'll do what Clara asks. That was the agreement from the beginning," Mr. Leon said.

I knew he was right. The agreement had always been simple. I was given a place to stay and food to eat, and in return, I had to help with the housework and follow Clara's wishes. It was never written down, but that's how things had been for the past two years.

With trembling hands, I picked up the red bikini from the chair. I walked toward the changing booth in the corner of the yard with tiny steps, like someone walking toward the gallows.

Inside the booth, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My hair was completely messy because I hadn't brushed it properly all day. My body was skinny, not curvy like Clara's. My chest was small, my waist too slim, and my skin wasn't very fair.

I put on the bikini. The red fabric felt unfamiliar against my skin, too revealing, too exposed. I covered my chest with both hands as I stepped out of the booth, as if that could hide anything.

Clara laughed the moment she saw me. "Oh my God, you're so ugly."

Mr. Leon said nothing, but I caught the slight curve at the corner of his lips. I couldn't tell whether it was a smile or just a normal expression.

I got into the pool as quickly as possible. The water was cold, instantly covering my skin in goosebumps. I sank down to my chest, grateful that the water hid most of my body.

"I'm going to the bathroom first," Clara said as she climbed out of the pool. "Don't go anywhere."

She left, leaving me alone in the huge pool. The three men returned to their billiards game, occasionally glancing at me before focusing back on the green table.

After five minutes, Clara still hadn't returned. Ten minutes passed, and she was still gone. I started shivering from the cold. The pool water felt colder and colder, or maybe my body was simply growing weaker. My hands started feeling stiff, and my lips turned bluish.

I decided to get out.

I swam toward the edge of the pool and grabbed the ledge with both hands, trying to pull myself up. But my foot slipped, my sole losing its grip against the wet surface. My body fell backward, and my head went under the water.

I tried to rise. I kicked frantically, my hands reaching in every direction, but the water seemed to have a force of its own. Water flooded my mouth. I coughed underwater, only making my lungs fill even more.

I couldn't swim, not because I had never wanted to learn, but because nobody had ever taught me. Mom had always been too busy working, and after she died, I was left alone.

More water rushed into my nose and ears. I could hear voices above the surface, but everything sounded muffled, like noises from another world. I tried to scream, but only tiny bubbles escaped and burst apart instantly.

And just as I started losing consciousness, just as my lungs felt like they were about to explode, just as the light above the surface began fading and everything turned black...

A large hand grabbed my waist.

My body was pulled upward with incredible strength. One pull, and I was above the surface. Another pull, and I was thrown onto the edge of the pool.

I choked, coughing water out of my mouth and nose. My breathing came out ragged, and my lungs felt like they were burning. I thought I was going to die, but my heart was still beating wildly.

An arm was wrapped around my waist, refusing to let me go even though I was no longer in danger.

I glanced behind me.

Mr. Leon's face was right beside mine. His face was wet, and his usually neat hair was now messy across his forehead. His thick, sexy lips were only centimeters away from my cheek.

"Thank you, sir," I whispered.

He didn't answer.

Instead, his lips pressed against my neck.

I froze.

Then he bit me. The bite was gentle, but it left a mark that sent a strange shiver from my neck down my spine. I couldn't move. I couldn't make a sound.

Then his lips moved up to my ear. The warmth of his breath made every hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"You almost died, and I don't like losing what's mine," he said.