Rebecca was standing behind Anna with her cold gaze, and Anna knew the worst might happen to her soon. Daniel’s name shouldn’t be mentioned out of her mouth. 

"You misunderstood, ma’am, Anna said Hazel, not Daniel," Matthew said with a big smile, pretending Rebecca had misheard.

Rebecca’s eyes narrowed. "Hazel? No, I heard it clearly, she mentioned Daniel's name," she replied in disbelief. Matthew smiled. "No, ma'am, we're talking about Hazel, you know Hazel, right? one of the dogs in this mansion. Hazel loved tailing Anna everywhere, so she told me about it," he said cheerfully. "Isn't that right, Anna?" he added, turning to her. 

Anna nodded slowly without daring to look up, afraid Rebecca could see through her lie. “Yes, ma’am.”

Rebecca stared at Anna for a long time, but a sudden ring from her phone saved the moment. Rebecca answered quickly and walked away. As soon as she disappeared down the hall, Anna exhaled in relief. "Oh my God, thank you, Matthew, you saved me! I don’t know what would happen to me if you weren’t here," Anna whispered with a faint smile.

Matthew patted her shoulder. "Listen, Anna, if you want things to go smoothly, avoid Daniel whenever you can. Don’t make Rebecca angry, it will only make life harder for you," he whispered, then left Anna frozen, not knowing what to do.

She took a deep breath, secretly blaming Daniel for the difficulties she had to face. Later that day, after finishing her tasks in Rebecca’s room, Anna slipped out of the mansion and wandered into the park. She felt unbearably lonely, even Laura had begun keeping her distance. Anger stirred in her chest. Daniel shouldn’t have treated her that way, none of this should be happening. But she also realized, when she decided to sign the contract, she should have known she was dealing with something unusual. Something that was illegal yet legally bound her with Rebecca.

She sat on a bench under a big tree, staring blankly at the sky. For the first time, she longed for her old, miserable life. At least back then she had freedom, something she didn’t have at all now.

Her eyes shifted to a window left wide open. It wasn’t the window that startled her, but the figure standing behind it. A shirtless man looking down at her with a gaze she couldn’t understand. It was Daniel Morgan. He looked as handsome as he could be. A charisma that was hard to be found.

Stupid, Anna! She couldn’t bring herself to turn away. She stared back, blinking occasionally, caught in his gaze. They simply looked at each other, communicating without a word. Somehow she knew there was something connecting them, an invisible red string that couldn't be broken.

Three minutes later, Anna finally broke away when Karen’s voice called out.

"You have to take your vitamins, all of them!" Karen said, handing her a glass of water and capsules. Anna swallowed them without complaint. "Thank you. When can I take a pregnancy test?" Anna asked, impatient to know her fate.

"In about three more weeks," Karen replied, studying her closely until Anna stepped back in discomfort. Clearing her throat, Karen leaned in. "So… did something happen between you and Mr. Morgan?" she asked, eyes sharp. "You can be honest with me..."

Anna scoffed, "You’re all ridiculous!" She turned and walked away, ignoring Karen’s smile, teasing her.

Days passed with nothing unusual. Anna continued serving Rebecca, while Rebecca stayed busy planning a grand summer party.

"When is your period due?" asked Karen as Anna changed clothes. Anna shrugged. "I don’t know, I’m not sure, around this week, maybe." 

Karen quickly noted it down. "Hurry, Dr. Kohler is waiting," she said, leading Anna to a guest room turned into a clinic.

"Go in. Dr. Kohler is inside. Rebecca might be down any minute," Karen said. As Anna’s hand touched the doorknob, she heard Karen whisper, "Pray you get pregnant—or you’ll have to sleep with Mr. Morgan again. Well, unless you enjoyed every second of it…"

Anna’s chest ached at the cruel words, but she ignored them and walked in.

"Ah, you must be Anna!" Dr. Gina Kohler greeted warmly. Anna managed a smile and sat down awkwardly. After completing the tests—blood, urine, and ultrasound, Rebecca entered. She didn’t greet Anna. She walked straight to Dr. Kohler with a cold face.

"Well? The results?" Rebecca asked, desperate. She needed to pretend she was pregnant soon, or risk losing everything with the Morgans.

Dr. Kohler shook her head slowly. "Negative."

Anna looked down at the floor, unsure whether to be relieved or sad. Deep down, she wasn’t ready for this. What if she fell in love with the baby and couldn’t give it up to Rebecca?

"Anna!" Rebecca’s shout snapped her back. "Prepare yourself, you’re meeting Daniel tonight. Before your period comes, you must get pregnant. Do you understand?!"

Anna lifted her head, locking eyes with Rebecca. Slowly, she nodded. "Yes, ma’am," she whispered.

The rest of the day was filled with endless preparations. Treatments, grooming, even a Brazilian wax that left Anna humiliated. By evening, she sat brushing her hair when the door swung open. Rebecca walked in with a cigarette pipe in hand.

Rebecca stood behind Anna, their eyes meeting through the mirror. "Do your job well. Don’t even think about taking Daniel from me. First, because you’re a nobody. Second, because your father’s life is in my hands. I can destroy anyone I hate, anytime I want," Rebecca hissed, her breath heavy with smoke.

“Keep that in mind…”

She ruffled Anna’s hair and walked out, leaving Anna suffocating. Tears refused to fall even though her chest burned.

"Anna, it’s time," Karen said, pointing at her watch.

Anna sighed. She felt like nothing more than a prostitute about to meet her client.

***