Daniel stood a few meters behind Anna and Laura, dressed casually in a way that made him look even younger—and undeniably more handsome.

"Good morning, sir," Laura greeted, nodding politely.

Startled, Anna quickly followed suit, nodding in sync with Laura.

"Yeah, good morning! Anna, could you accompany me for a walk?" Daniel asked once more, since Anna hadn’t given a response yet.

Flustered, Anna turned toward Laura, who was also waiting for her answer. Feeling like she had no other option, Anna finally nodded and walked slowly toward Daniel. She briefly turned back to Laura to say goodbye, but Laura just watched them with a miserable look in her eyes.

"Such a beautiful morning!" Daniel stretched his arms wide. Behind him, Anna walked nervously, fiddling with her fingers. The memory of what had happened the night before kept flashing in her mind every time her eyes accidentally met Daniel’s.

“Walk beside me,” Daniel muttered without turning his head. Anna swallowed hard, questioning whether she even deserved to walk beside someone like Daniel. While she was still caught up in her thoughts, Daniel came to a stop, reached out, and took her hand so that she would walk beside him.

"Why would I ask you to walk with me if you're going to trail behind? That’s basically the same as walking alone!" Daniel muttered, visibly annoyed.

Anna remained silent, glancing at her wrist, still gripped by Daniel’s hand. As if suddenly realizing what he was doing, Daniel let go abruptly. "Let’s go!" he snapped, striding ahead of her.

"Umm… wouldn’t Mrs. Morgan be upset if she saw me walking with you like this?" Anna asked cautiously. She wanted to keep her distance, but the path they were on was narrow and surrounded by an expensive kind of grass that was not meant to be stepped on.

Daniel simply shrugged without offering an answer.

"So? Have you decided?" he asked suddenly. Anna frowned. "Decided what?" she asked, confused.

Daniel took a deep breath. "To become a model for my painting," he replied casually. Anna gulped and bit her lip, she felt embarrassingly shy just hearing such a thing.

"I don’t think that would be appropriate," Anna finally responded after a long pause. She didn’t want to stir up trouble with Rebecca.

Daniel stopped and turned to face her.

"Why? Is it because of Rebecca?" he asked, studying her eyes. Anna lowered her gaze to avoid his. "Yes, sir," she answered softly, her voice barely audible.

Daniel scoffed.

"I’m a painter and you’re my model—it’s a professional arrangement. I’ll speak to Rebecca myself. But if you refuse to model for me, I’ll refuse to sleep with you for the second attempt," Daniel said flatly, then turned and walked away briskly, leaving Anna standing there with her heart pounding and her palms growing clammy. She’d never felt anything like this for another man before. But Daniel—he was different from anyone she had ever met…

***

"Where have you been?! I’ve been looking everywhere! Gosh, I thought you ran away..." Karen croaked when she saw Anna come out from the hallway leading to her room.

Anna winced. "Sorry, I just got back from a morning walk. Were you looking for me?" she asked, feeling a little guilty seeing the panic on Karen’s face.

"Forget it! Hurry up! Finish your breakfast—Mrs. Morgan wants to see you," Karen said as she pushed open Anna’s bedroom door.

"Do I have to finish all of this?" Anna asked, looking at the mountain of food and fruit on the table.

"Yes, you should," Karen replied curtly. She sat down across from Anna, watching her eat.

"You eat like a pig," Karen muttered, watching how fast Anna was devouring her food.

Anna just shrugged. "I’m not going to waste my chance to eat something this delicious and nutritious," she said, her mouth full of fruit. Karen remained expressionless, her eyes cold and unreadable.

"Can I ask you something?" Anna said after finishing her fruit. Karen didn’t reply, but looked up at Anna, waiting. Anna cleared her throat. "Umm… how long have you been working here?"

"Three years," Karen answered stiffly. Anna nodded slowly. "Umm… do you know what’s going on between Mrs. Morgan and her husband? They don’t seem like a normal couple," she asked carefully.

Karen rose from her seat. "That’s not something I can talk about. Once you’re finished, wipe your mouth and come with me to see Mrs. Morgan," she said as she made her way to the door.

Anna sighed, there was no point pushing for answers she wouldn’t get.

A few moments later, they were standing in front of Rebecca’s room. Karen knocked softly. "Ma’am, we’re here," she said politely.

"Come in!" Rebecca’s voice called out from inside.

Anna lowered her head. She didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt a pang of guilt for the feelings she was starting to develop toward Daniel—even if she didn’t fully understand those feelings yet. Maybe it was nothing, maybe it didn’t matter.

"Karen, can you leave us alone?" Rebecca got up from her swivel chair, reached for her cigarette holder, and lit it.

"Your father will have his surgery in two days," Rebecca said casually.

Anna’s eyes widened. "Really?!" she gasped, unable to believe it. "You can call the hospital if you don’t trust me," Rebecca added, unfazed.

Tears welled up in Anna’s eyes. She hadn’t expected this moment to come so soon—his father would finally be getting the treatment he needed after suffering from blood cancer for the past two years.

"Thank you..." Anna said softly, glancing up at Rebecca, who was looking at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read.

Rebecca waved a hand. "Don’t thank me. Just make sure you do your job well. If you’re not pregnant by mid-month, we’ll go for a second attempt. And it seems Daniel won’t mind sleeping with you again."

DANG.

Anna felt a pit in her stomach. Rebecca’s words stung—there was something sarcastic and cold about them. But Anna chose not to argue and just nodded slowly.

"Do whatever Karen tells you. Don’t resist. And..." Rebecca’s words hung in the air. She leaned in, lowering her face until it was just inches from Anna’s, and Anna could smell the tobacco on her breath.

"And never get involved with Daniel outside of our contract!" Rebecca’s voice turned sharp and icy.

Anna held her breath. Was it possible Rebecca had seen her and Daniel walking together?

"Oh, and one more thing: Don’t even dream of becoming a model for Daniel’s paintings. You should know by now—you’ll never be worthy.

Remember who you are…

You’re far beneath us…

You’re just nobody..."

***