The smell of food and overturned furniture still lingered in the house when Ana and Adonis arrived. Their hearts sank as they beheld the chaos before them. Men in black, brutish and grim, stomped through their belongings like wild animals. In the midst of the wreckage sat a bloated and baldy man dressed in designer clothes, gobbling meat and sipping wine leisurely at their mother's dining table, as if hosting a royal feast.
Their mother, Mrs Lyle, and younger sister, Julia, were on their knees, tied and helpless. Julia, pale and visibly weak, coughed miserably. Ana's heart shattered.
"Mr. Smith," their mother pleaded tearfully, her voice hoarse, "please. I promise we'll pay back every penny. Just let my daughter go. She's sick. She can't take this."
The man named Mr. Smith chuckled, his greasy face glowing with mockery. "Pay? Even if I sold every single one of you, it wouldn't cover the three million your family owes me." His gaze landed on the trembling child, and his lips curled perversely. "Though... the little one here might fetch something. She's got potential."
"Don't you dare lay a finger on my sister!" Adonis roared and lunged forward.
But Mr. Smith's guards were faster. They grabbed Adonis and pummeled him to the ground, their fists a blur of violence. Blood trickled from his lips, but he still glared murderously at Mr. Smith.
Ana rushed to untie Julia, holding her protectively while her sister sobbed into their mother's arms.
"You have no right to treat us like animals," Ana hissed, her voice trembling with rage. "We may owe you money, but that doesn't make us your slaves!"
Mr. Smith stood up and swaggered toward her, ignoring her fury. His gaze with lecherous amusement "Fiery as always. I like that in my woman. My little kitty..." He leaned in, breathing in her scent like a predator. Ana flinched in disgust.
"Marry me, Ana." His voice dropped to a croon. "Be mine, and your family will be set for life. Consider the debt... a wedding gift."
Ana didn't blink. "I'd rather die."
Adonis, struggling against his captors, shouted, "She's not for sale, you disgusting ogre!"
Ana reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope. "This is five thousand dollars. It's what we've scraped together for the month."
A guard took it and handed it to Mr. Smith, who flicked through it carelessly and tossed it back to his guard. Then he smirked.
"One month. I'm giving you just one month to pay me back the full three million or get ready for the wedding. I always get what I want."
With a final chuckle, Mr. Smith left, his men marching behind him like shadows.
Once the door slammed shut, silence crashed over them like a wave. Then Mrs Lyle broke down, clutching her chest and crying miserably.
"This is impossible. Three million in a month? How can we do this? How, God?"
Adonis hugged her, bloodied but determined. "We'll find a way, Mom. I promise.
That night, dinner was untouched. No one had the appetite.
The root of their suffering? Their absent father, once a proud man, now a ghost. An addicted gambler who had mortgaged their lives for thrills. He'd borrowed half a million from Mr. Smith and fled to Europe with another woman, leaving them to face the storm. In two years, the loan had multiplied to three million, thanks to monstrous interest. They had to deal with that evil and lecherous Mr Smith's torment day in and day out. He was the demon after their lifeline.
To make things worse, eight years old Julia was born sickly and had been diagnosed with a heart condition. Medicine and treatment were swallowing their earnings like a beast.
Every day, Ana took odd jobs—waitressing, cleaning, tutoring. Adonis worked construction, took night shifts at the gas station. Their mother sold fish at the local market, braving humiliation and long hours.
That night, in their tiny shared room, Ana gently tucked Julia in. She kissed her forehead tenderly, whispering, "May the angels watch over you, Julia."
Julia, barely awake, turned her teary eyes to Ana. "I'm sorry... I'm just a burden, aren't I?"
Ana's heart clenched. "Don't say that. You're not. I'll make everything better. Someday... we'll be rich. We'll live in a palace, with servants and chefs. You'll be like a princess. I promise."
Annie smiled weakly. "You dream too much, sis. But I love you for it."
"I love you too, baby."
Across the city, in a lavish mansion where gold lined the ceilings and silence held power, an old man lay in bed connected to life support. Silver-haired and gaunt, he struggled for breath. Beside him sat a regal looking old woman in her late sixties, draped in couture, her silver hair neatly styled and her gaze sharp and unkind.
Lady Nuria Fairchild. The matriarch of the Fairchild clan.
"Frederick, I won't let you disgrace this family. Those people..." she spat the word,"have no place here. I don't care what plans you've made. I will destroy them before they touch what belongs to my grandson."
The old man's eyes fluttered open. "Nuria... why are you still so bitter after all these years. Let it go. You'll find peace."
"Peace?" she laughed coldly. "You think I'll allow outsiders to inherit what should be mine? You should be compensating me and not them."
She stood up to leave but froze at his final words.
"The Fairchilds must have an heir. Bring me the rightful next heir, or you can't blame me when justice is done."
Lady Nuria's eyes darkened like a brewing storm. "I won't lose." She turned and left, her cane echoing down the marble hallway.
The old man sighed, closing his eyes wearily as the butler walked in. He bowed respectfully towards him."Master". He called.
"How's the heir's relationship with his wife?" Patriarch Frederick asked.
"Master, the heir and his wife's relationship is very sensitive. The young master rarely visits the young mistress chambers" the butler replied politely.
"Hmm"