" What exactly did you mean when you said I belong to you?"
He gazed back at me, his eyes flickering, assessing me, just as I was assessing him. "You will be anything I choose for you to be. My possession, my personal maid, whatever I want you to be, you will be it."
Yes. Anything he wanted me to be. I would no longer belong to me. As soon as I signed that paper, I would be one of his possessions.
"And how long would I be your possession?"
"Until I grow tired of you," he said.
"And then you will let me go and the four million dollars would also be erased." I turned to look at Lorenzo. He kept staring at me.
I turned back to stare at the contract, willing it to burst into flames, but no matter how long I fixed my gaze on it, my circumstances would never change. My father's life was on the line. And all I needed to do was sign that damn thing to secure his protection.
Let's hope that day comes fast when he gets tired of me.
"I don't have a pen," I said. I clamped and unclamped my hand. With him being so close to me, I couldn't think properly.
Lorenzo miraculously pulled a pen out of nowhere and placed it on the table in front of me. I picked it up and saw an engraved logo on it. Lorenzo Corp.
Oh God! This guy was a big shot. He wasn't some normal American citizen. I was really in hell.
I signed the contract, feeling the last of my freedom slipping away from me. I was now a puppet to this man.
As soon as I finished signing my name, Lorenzo took the contract away and released me from my cage.
"You have sold your soul to me, Amelia. From now on, I am your master. You will submit to me."
I sat in my seat, his words coursing through my body. I had now lost everything. My dignity and my freedom of speech. But for the sake of Papa and Jenny, I would do it all over again, just so they could live.
Lorenzo made a move to leave. I clamped on to his arm fast before he shifted.
"Can I have my phone back?" I asked, hoping that he would at least grant me this one wish. Except he was too cruel. What was I expecting? He wasn't some saint. He was the devil who pulled all the strings in this hell I'd be living in.
"You don't deserve that privilege." He smirked at me, and my heart rate went into overdrive, for his next few words would morph my future forever.
"This is now your new world, Amelia. Better get used to it."
---
"Miss Amelia, wake up."
Someone called my name, and I roused from sleep. It didn't sound like Jenny. I was an early riser, so I was usually the one who woke her up.
"Miss Amelia, please wake up." That voice came again. "Master has instructed me to guide you in your new job."
Job? What job?
I slowly opened my eyes and saw an Asian lady with glasses staring back at me.
"Ahhh." I backed up against the bed and hit my head on the headboard.
"I'm sorry for startling you," the lady said, plumping up my pillow.
It took me a full minute to remember where I was. This was Lorenzo's penthouse. And I came here yesterday. After signing the contract which stated that I would belong to him, he had disappeared out of sight. I didn't know what to do with myself. That night, when he didn't come back, I raided the fridge and cooked something to eat, before returning to the bedroom he threw me in, and fell asleep. And now this morning, a lady whom I didn't recognize woke me up.
"I'm sorry. This is my first time in this place," I said, rubbing my eyes and trying to determine what time it was.
"It's four thirty in the morning." She seemed to understand my silent query and answered.
"Four thirty," I muttered, stifling another yawn from escaping. A bit earlier than my usual waking time, but I should get used to it soon. "Can you give me fifteen minutes. I need to refresh myself."
"Of course. What would you like for breakfast? I can prepare it for you and bring it here."
"Oh, I…umm…" That question caught me off guard. I didn't know how to respond to her.
I was usually the one who made breakfast for the family. Jenny was usually responsible for dinner, since my class ran late into the evening most times.
For someone to cook breakfast for me, it was a privilege. And that was strange because I was supposed to be a lowly maid to Lorenzo. And a lowly maid did not qualify for breakfast in bed.
"Anything is fine. I don't usually eat much in the morning anyway," I told her.
"Very well. I will cook something simple. Please take all the time you need. I'll be in the kitchen when you are ready."
"Yes. Thank you." I watched her leave, and just when she was about to exit the door, I asked, "Excuse me. I'm sorry but I didn't get your name."
"My name is Ming-May, Miss Amelia. Welcome to Master Niko's home. I'm sure you will enjoy your stay here."
Niko? Who is Niko? I thought this penthouse belonged to Lorenzo.
I shoved that thought aside and turned to my current situation. I sat in bed and took in my surroundings again. Since last night, I couldn't stop marveling at the intricate design in this room. For someone like me who was supposed to be a possession that belonged to Lorenzo, did I really deserve to stay in a beautiful, luxurious room like this? I'd never stayed in a five-star hotel before, but I imagined it would be something like this, so grandeur.
I reluctantly got out of bed, missing the feeling of the soft mattress already, and went to freshen myself up. I stepped into the shower, welcoming the warm spray on my skin. I watched as the water slid down my body and went to circle around the drain near my feet before disappearing. I wished all my misery and misfortune could disappear down that drain too. But I couldn't change the past. What I could look forward to was the future, even though mine was bleak and grim-looking.
Walking toward the large vanity mirror, I stared at my own reflection.
Large amber eyes stared back at me against a canvas of olive skin, with long ash-brown hair, wet and in a tangled mess from the shower.
Jenny complained how she wanted to have my olive skin. I wished I had her fair skin, with beautiful freckles on her button nose.
Sometimes I felt a sense of uneasiness when I was with my family.
Maybe this feeling stemmed from the fact that I looked so different from them. Mama, Papa, and Jenny, they all resembled each other, beautiful green eyes with brunette curls, but not me. Mama said I was her baby and I believed her. Deep down, I knew Papa wasn't my real dad, but he was the only man who raised me since I was young. I loved him, and that was enough reason to call him my father.
I felt more refreshed after the shower. My eyes were less swollen, too.
Then again, I'd done a lot of crying yesterday, enough to last a lifetime. But from now on, I vowed not to cry again. I may be Lorenzo's possession, but he would never break me. I was determined to live a new life, with pride and dignity from now on.
I grabbed my dress from the heated towel rail and put it on. I had washed it last night and left it to dry overnight. This dress was the only article left that belonged to my previous life. I would do anything to keep it.
It would serve as a reminder of who I used to be, a carefree person who belonged to no one but me.