Anna turned her head and looked at Matthew in surprise. “What happened to Laura before? Why did she get into trouble?” she asked, curious about what Matthew had just hinted.

Matthew bit his lip, already regretting he had said too much. “Forget it. Pretend I didn’t say anything,” he muttered, not looking at her.

Anna frowned. “You can’t give me a clue and then just stop there,” she grumbled, annoyed and even more curious now.

Matthew chuckled. “You don’t need to know. I said forget it!” He clearly had no intention of answering.

Anna huffed and leaned her head against the car seat, closing her eyes. Before long, she drifted off to sleep.

“Anna…” Matthew whispered, not daring to touch her.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open. “We’ve arrived?!” she said, sitting up quickly. Her face looked a little squished from the seat belt, and Matthew tried hard not to laugh. Anna caught his expression and panicked, checking her face with her hands.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

Matthew shook his head, though inside he was quietly admiring her natural beauty.

“Are you coming inside?” Anna asked, pushing open the car door.

“Of course. My job is to escort you,” Matthew replied as he jumped out.

Anna just shrugged. It didn’t matter to her whether Matthew followed or not.

As they walked through the hospital lobby, Anna suddenly stopped and turned. “Why are you walking behind me?”

“So what?” Matthew asked, confused.

Anna rolled her eyes. “You’re not my assistant. Walk beside me! It feels weird having you trail behind me,” she scolded, tugging at his sleeve until he walked next to her.

Matthew said nothing, just kept pace with her.

“My father is still in his room. Let’s go!” Anna told him after speaking with the receptionist. Matthew nodded, his eyes following every little movement she made.

“Do you have family?” Anna asked casually.

Matthew nodded.

“Where are they?” she pressed.

Matthew hesitated, but when Anna gave him an impatient look, he finally said, “At the mansion.”

Anna stopped in her tracks and turned to him, wide-eyed. “Mansion? Do you mean the Morgan Mansion?”

Matthew cleared his throat, guilty for answering too honestly, and gave a small nod.

“Who—?” Anna began, but before Matthew could answer, her phone rang.

“Sorry, I have to take this,” she said quickly, pressing the green button. “Anna Taylor,” she answered in her usual cheerful tone.

“Ah, yes, Doctor Philip. I’m already at the hospital. Okay, I’ll be there right away.”

Anna hung up and rushed ahead. Matthew hurried to keep up.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, alarmed.

“My dad’s going into surgery now. I need to see him before it starts!” she said, moving faster.

Matthew didn’t ask anything else, just followed quietly.

When they reached the room, Matthew waited outside while Anna ran to her father’s bedside.

“Dad!” Anna slipped past the nurses and bent down, kissing her father’s pale face.

“Don’t worry, Dad. The surgery will go well. I’ll be waiting outside,” Anna said, fighting back tears.

Her father looked at her with trembling lips. “Are you okay? How did you pay for this? What did you do?” he whispered.

Anna forced a small smile. “Don’t worry. I got a job at a rich family’s mansion. They paid me in advance. Just focus on your surgery, okay?” She kissed her father’s hand and nodded to the doctor.

“Alright, Mr. Taylor, we’ll take you to the operating room now,” the doctor said, signaling the nurses to move the bed.

Anna followed, her heart heavy with worry. Matthew trailed behind her with quick steps.

“You okay?” Matthew asked later, looking down at Anna crouched in the hallway, hugging her knees.

Anna lifted her head, her face pale. “Yeah… I was just scared something might go wrong with the surgery.” Her voice shook.

Matthew sighed and leaned against the wall beside her. “Think positive. It can affect the outcome.”

Anna blinked at him. “Are you always this nice to everyone?”

Matthew shrugged. “I don’t know. Am I nice to you?”

Anna let out a snort, then chuckled. “Come on. I’ll buy you a coffee.” She stood, brushing the back of her skirt. “Probably dusty from the floor,” she muttered.

At the café, Matthew sipped his drink. “So… you think you’ll get pregnant or not?” he asked carefully.

Anna stared out the window, her chest tight. “I don’t know,” she whispered, the thought of her “job” making her sick.

Matthew stayed silent.

Then Anna suddenly turned to him. “Tell me what happened to Laura.”

Matthew tried to dodge. “Want some bread?”

“I don’t want bread. I want the story,” Anna insisted.

He sighed. “Alright… I just don’t know where to start.”

“Start from when Laura signed the contract,” Anna cut in impatiently.

Matthew gave a small smile, amused by her determination.

“Okay. A few months ago, Laura came, just like you. She needed money to pay her father’s debt. She signed a contract and did the job, but it didn’t work—Daniel refused her.”

Anna’s eyes widened.

“She tried again and again, but Daniel wasn’t interested. Still, she kept pushing. And over time, she fell in love with him. That’s when things got worse.”

Matthew paused, his face tight.

“Laura confessed her feelings. But Rebecca overheard. You can guess what happened after that.”

Anna shook her head. “No. What happened?”

“Rebecca was furious. She threatened to call the loan sharks and have Laura’s father thrown in jail. Laura panicked—her father was the only family she had. To protect him, she begged. And Rebecca forced her to sign a lifetime contract. In exchange, Rebecca paid off the debt.”

Anna gasped, covering her mouth. “A lifetime contract? That’s terrible…”

Matthew nodded. “Don’t mess with Rebecca. She can look like an angel, but she can be a demon too. That’s how she keeps everyone under control—including Daniel. Poor Daniel…”

Anna sat in silence, lost in thought. No wonder Laura always had those sad eyes.

***