Chapter 5

Two days passed.

I tried to avoid Mr. Leon and his guests. I worked harder than usual. I cleaned every corner of the mansion, washed Clara's clothes until they smelled fresh, and even swept parts of the yard I had never touched before. I hoped that if I worked hard enough, everything would go back to normal.

But the following night, my phone rang from an unknown number. I almost didn't answer it, but a bad feeling made me press the green button.

"Hello, is this Ana Lancaster?" a middle-aged woman asked from the other end.

"Yes, this is Ana. What's wrong?"

"My name is Julia. I'm calling from the hospital where your mother used to receive treatment. Sorry to bother you, but there's an unresolved administrative issue. It turns out your mother's medical debt from three years ago still has an unpaid balance, and since she has passed away, the responsibility has been transferred to her closest family member, which is her daughter."

"How much?"

"Fourteen thousand euros. With interest, it has become eighteen thousand. We've tried contacting you through letters sent to your old address, but we never received a response. If the debt isn't paid within one month, we will proceed with legal action."

Eighteen thousand euros.

With a salary of three hundred euros a month, I would have to work for five years without eating or spending money on anything just to pay it off. Impossible.

I walked into the spacious living room. Mr. Leon sat on the main sofa with a cup of coffee in his hand. Mr. Adrian and Mr. Sebastian were there too, sitting on the sofa beside him. They smiled when they saw me.

"There's something I need to tell you," Mr. Leon said as he set his cup down. "Your work contract will end next month. Clara will be studying abroad, so you won't be needed here anymore."

I froze in shock.

"But I heard you have some debt problems," he continued.

I was even more shocked that Mr. Leon knew about my debt.

Mr. Adrian stood up and walked toward me. His hand stroked my hair again like he was petting an animal.

"Before you, there were three girls who worked in this mansion. They were all scared at first, but now they live much better lives. Houses, cars, their children's education. All from one night's decision."

His hand pressed against my shoulder, making me too nervous to move.

I stood there silently. Mr. Adrian's hand still rested on my shoulder, not hard, but heavy enough to keep me from going anywhere.

"I'm not like them," I said.

Mr. Sebastian chuckled softly from behind the sofa. "Every girl says that, Ana. 'I'm not like the others.' But in the end, all humans are the same. Everyone has needs, and everyone reaches a point where they'll sacrifice their pride just to survive."

Mr. Leon still hadn't spoken. He sat calmly on the main sofa with one leg crossed over the other, a cup of coffee in his hand, his dark eyes fixed on me. His silence was more frightening than Mr. Adrian's or Mr. Sebastian's words because I had no idea what was going on inside his head.

"You can sit down," Mr. Leon said.

I sat in the small chair across from them. A guest chair I had never sat in before. It felt uncomfortable even though the cushion was soft. I felt like a stranger in the house I had lived in for two years.

"Tell us about your debt," Mr. Leon said.

I hesitated, but what else could I hide? They already knew. Maybe they had known even before I received that phone call. Maybe they had arranged all of this themselves, but I had no proof, and even if I did, there was nothing I could do.

"My mother got sick three years ago. Leukemia. The hospital said the total treatment cost was around sixty thousand euros. Insurance only covered part of it. We borrowed money from everywhere we could. After my mother died, I thought all the debt had been paid off because I sold our small house and everything inside it, but apparently one hospital bill was missed, and the interest kept growing," I explained.

"And next month, your work contract ends. After that, you'll have no place to stay, no income, and your debt will still exist. The court will seize whatever you own, and you own almost nothing. Do you know what happens next? You could go to prison for failing to pay your debt," Mr. Leon said.

I fought back my tears with all my strength.

Mr. Adrian walked toward the small table in the corner of the room. He opened a drawer and took out a thick brown envelope, then walked back toward me and placed it on my lap.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Just open it."

My hands trembled as I opened the envelope. Inside was a thick stack of euro bills in large denominations. I didn't count them, but from the thickness alone, it was probably around five or six thousand euros.

"This is only part of it. If you agree, we'll pay the rest of your debt directly to the hospital," Mr. Adrian said.

I stared at the money. I had never held that much money in my entire life. I could imagine how many years I would have to work just to earn that amount.

"What do I have to do?" I asked because there were no other choices left.

Mr. Sebastian walked closer, and now all three of them stood around me.

"You're an adult, Miss Lancaster. You know exactly what we're asking for," Mr. Sebastian said while touching my chin and lifting my face so I would look at him. "You just need to take care of us."

I looked away from him. My eyes landed on Mr. Leon, who still sat calmly on the sofa as if he were merely a spectator in this entire performance.

"What if I refuse?" I whispered.

Mr. Leon finally moved. He placed his coffee cup down, stood up, and walked toward me. The scent of his expensive cologne filled my nose. He stopped right in front of me, only inches away from my face.

"If you refuse, we'll take this envelope back. Your contract will still end next month. You'll leave this mansion without savings, without a place to stay, and with eighteen thousand euros of debt on your shoulders. The court will come after you. You could end up in prison, and in prison, Ana..." Mr. Leon leaned closer. His lips nearly brushed against my ear. "There are no good people there. Trust me."

I was scared.

"But if you accept, you won't just be debt-free. You'll continue living here. You'll receive a monthly allowance, much more than three hundred euros, far more. You'll eat the same food we do. You'll sleep in a better and more luxurious room," Mr. Leon said.

He stepped back and looked directly into my eyes. "This isn't an offer that harms you. It's a way out, and the only way out."

I closed my eyes. Tears finally fell, sliding down my cheeks. I didn't wipe them away. There was no point in hiding my weakness anymore because they had already seen everything.

"Alright. I'll accept the offer," I said.

Mr. Leon smiled. "A wise decision."

Mr. Adrian patted my shoulder. "You won't regret it, sweetheart."

"There's one more condition," Mr. Leon said.

"What?" I asked.

He stepped closer and whispered, "Clara must never know."

I nodded.

Mr. Leon stared at me for a long moment. "Starting tonight, you'll sleep in my room."

"Welcome to your new life, Miss Lancaster," Mr. Sebastian said.

A few moments later, the atmosphere in the living room changed after Adrian and Sebastian finally left.

I still sat stiffly in the small chair, clutching the brown envelope tightly on my lap. Mr. Leon stood near the window with one hand in his pocket before finally speaking.

"Adrian and Sebastian have wanted you for a long time."

My fingers tightened around the envelope.

I slowly looked up at him. "What?"

Mr. Leon turned toward me. His black eyes looked calm, but there was something cold hidden beneath them.

"They noticed you long before that day at the pool. The way you quietly walked through this mansion. The way you always lowered your head whenever they visited. Men like them enjoy girls who look fragile."

A shiver ran down my spine.

"But you're a servant in this mansion, and I don't like sharing what's mine carelessly."

Mr. Leon walked closer until he stood directly in front of me, then crouched slightly so his face was level with mine.

"So I'm going to give you a different offer."

I swallowed nervously. "What kind of offer?"

"You have to marry me."

I stared at him in shock.

"It's only on paper," he said calmly. "A secret marriage. Adrian and Sebastian must never know. My father gave me a condition. I have to remarry if I want him to hand over the entire family fortune to me. So I chose you as my wife, and we'll have an open marriage."

"But what about Mr. Sebastian and Mr. Adrian?" I asked.

Mr. Leon's thumb slowly brushed against my cheek.

"You can still spend time with them if you want. You can entertain them, accept their gifts, even be with them, but legally, you'll still be my secret wife," Mr. Leon said.