Chapter 3 - A Debt of Life
My mother, Maria, was dragged into the main hall ten minutes later.
She was terrified, her maid’s uniform wrinkled, tears streaming down her face.
When she saw me standing next to the massive leather armchair where Alejandro now sat, she let out a sob.
“Emma! Oh my god, Emma, I told you to stay downstairs!”
She ran to me, dropping to her knees and checking me for injuries.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Moretti,” my mother pleaded, shielding me with her body. “She didn’t mean to intrude. We’ll pack our things. We’ll leave tonight. Please don’t hurt her.”
Alejandro watched us in silence.
A team of private doctors was already in the room, checking his vitals, but he waved them away.
“Maria, isn’t it?” he asked.
My mother nodded, trembling.
“Do you know what your daughter did tonight?”
“She broke the rules,” my mother cried. “I take full responsibility.”
“She gave me an epinephrine injection,” Alejandro corrected.
My mother froze. She looked at my empty pink backpack.
“Her last one,” she realized, the horror dawning on her. “Emma… your medicine.”
Alejandro leaned forward.
“Someone laced my wine with a rare, highly concentrated nut-based oil. They knew my allergy. They knew my weakness.”
He gestured to the doorway, where Silas was dragging the unconscious Marcus away.
“My own guard stood there waiting for me to suffocate. But your daughter…”
Alejandro’s hard eyes softened.
“She gave me the medicine that was meant to save her own life.”
My mother hugged me tighter, not knowing what to say.
“How much do I pay you, Maria?”
“Minimum wage, sir. Plus room and board in the basement.”
Alejandro scoffed, a dark look crossing his face.
“Not anymore.”
He looked at Silas.
“Move them out of the basement. Put them in the East Wing. The VIP suites.”
My mother gasped. “Sir, I can’t—”
“You won’t work as a maid anymore,” Alejandro commanded.
“From today on, you are a guest in my home. And Emma…”
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He looked at me, a rare, genuine smile appearing on his face.
“Emma will have the best doctors, the best schools, and all the medicine she will ever need. I owe her my life. And Alejandro Moretti always pays his debts.”
