Chapter 3 - The Devil’s Bargain
Elena had nowhere to run.
The corridor was a dead end.
The only way out was down the stairs.
Where Valentina was currently ascending.
A flashlight beam cut through the darkness, blinding Elena.
Valentina stepped onto the landing.
She was wearing a silk robe, her face a mask of absolute fury.
She didn't yell.
She didn't scream.
That made it so much worse.
“You are a very curious girl, Elena,” Valentina whispered.
Her voice was like ice sliding down Elena’s spine.
“I… I got lost,” Elena stammered, her voice shaking violently.
Valentina smiled.
It was a smile devoid of any human warmth.
“Do not insult my intelligence,” Valentina said softly.
She stepped closer.
The scent of her expensive perfume was overpowering.
“You heard her, didn't you?”
Elena couldn't speak.
She just stared at the woman, paralyzed by fear.
Valentina sighed, adjusting the belt of her silk robe.
“I suppose I will have to find a new housekeeper tomorrow.”
“Please,” Elena begged. “I won't say anything.”
Valentina laughed quietly.
“Of course you won't. Because if you do, terrible things will happen.”
Valentina stepped right into Elena’s personal space.
“I know all about your little brother, Leo,” she whispered.
Elena’s blood ran cold.
“I know about his failing heart,” Valentina continued.
“I know about the expensive clinic in the city.”
Valentina reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind Elena’s ear.
“It would be a tragedy if his funding was suddenly… cut off.”
Elena stopped breathing.
“Billionaires have a lot of influence in the medical community, Elena.”
“If you breathe a word of this to anyone, your brother will never get his surgery.”
“He will die.”
“And it will be your fault.”
Elena’s vision blurred with tears.
She was trapped.
Caught in a spider’s web of wealth and pure evil.
“Now,” Valentina commanded, stepping back. “Go to your room.”
“And if you ever come up to this floor again, I won't just fire you.”
“I will destroy your entire family.”
Elena ran.
She stumbled down the dark stairs, sobbing quietly.
She locked herself in her small servant’s quarters.
She curled into a ball on her narrow bed.
She wanted to pack her bags and flee into the night.
But Leo’s face flashed in her mind.
His pale skin.
His weak, hopeful smile.
She couldn't leave.
She couldn't let him die.
But she also couldn't abandon the little girl locked in the dark.
That night, Elena didn't sleep a single wink.
A fire ignited in her chest.
Valentina thought she had won by using fear.
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But fear was a funny thing.
Push someone hard enough, and fear turns into reckless courage.
