I managed to walk back into the kitchen, my legs feeling like lead. I sat at one of the tables overlooking the outdoor patio, staring blankly at the horizon.

The scenery was beautiful, a sprawling masterpiece of nature and wealth, but my heart was a chaotic mess. The rejection letters in my inbox felt like a death sentence to my independence.

“Now, which moron let a filthy creature into the boss's house?”

I heard the gritty voice behind me before I saw him. I turned to look, and my ...