LAUREL P.O.V
All day, I couldn't breathe properly.
Not because the air in Alpha's penthouse was thin,but because it felt watched and measured and controlled.
Every step I took echoed with purpose that wasn't mine.
Every command I followed reminded me i didn't belong here.
I was placed here.
Used.
Owned.
"Faster"
"Clean that again"
"Don't touch that,use the other cloth" Voices overlapped. Orders stacked. Time blurred.
I worked nonstop.Like a machine that wasn't allowed to break.
But my mind?
My mind wasn't here.
It was back in that room.
Back to what I saw.
Racheal and Marco.
The way they touched each other like the world didn't exist.
The way she whispered in fear.
The way he looked at her…
Not like a Don.
Not like a monster.
But like a man who had something to lose.
A baby.
I gripped the tray tighter as I walked down the hallway.
He had a lover.
He had an unborn baby to protect.
That wasn't just a secret.
That was a weakness.
And in this world,weakness was power.
"Hey you! Watch where you are going!"
I snapped back as a maid shoved past me.
I muttered a quiet apology and kept walking.
But inside,i was thinking.
Planning.
Calculating.
What if I use it?
The thought came slowly…then settled in fully.
What if I become their problem?
If Marco was afraid...
If Racheal was desperate…
Then maybe...
Just maybe..
I could turn their secret into my freedom.
By the time night came, my body ached.
My hands were sore.
My legs felt like they didn't belong to me anymore.
The maids were dismissed.
It was bedtime.
Finally.
I walked slowly toward the maid's quarters, dragging exhaustion behind me.But suddenly,I saw Racheal moving quickly and quietly while glancing over her shoulder like she wasn't supposed to be seen.
My heart skipped when i realised she was heading to the rooftop.
Without thinking, I followed.
Every step was calculated because this might be my only chance.
The stairs spiraled upward, dimly lit, shadows stretching along the walls.My heartbeat matched every step I took.
Loud.
Unsteady.
Dangerous.
When we reached the rooftop, I stopped and looked for the perfect place to hide.
A large flower vase stood near the doorway,so i slipped behind it just as I saw Marco.He was already there,waiting patiently.
The moment Racheal stepped out,he moved really fast.Pulling her into his arms like he had been starving for her.
"I miss you" He murmured against her hair. "What took you so long to get here?"
"I was busy serving Alpha's dinner" She replied softly and breathless.
He pulled back slightly, just enough to look at her.And then his hand moved to her stomach slowly. "How's our baby?" He asked.
My chest tightened.
Racheal's expression broke instantly.
"Alpha wants me as his personal maid" She whispered with her fear lacing every word. "What if he knows about us? Our baby…our relationship…"
"He can't find out about us" Marco cut in sharply.
But his voice wasn't certain.
Racheal broke with tears spilling freely as she clutched his shirt.
"Marco…" Her voice trembled. "I'm nine months pregnant…the doctor said I might go into labor next week…"
There was silence for a while.
Heavy silence.
Marco froze.Like the words hit him harder than anything else ever could. "…Next week?" He repeated slowly.
She nodded, crying harder now. "What are we going to do?"
He looked away for a moment,struggling to think
Then his gaze went back at her.
"Give me some time" He said, his voice lowered. "I'll figure something out. I'll get you out of here before anyone finds out"
"You can't hide this anymore!" She cried. "The baby is coming, Marco…I'm scared…"
He pulled her into his arms again, tighter this time.
"I will protect you" He whispered. "Don't cry…"
And for a moment,It felt real like love.Like something pure trying to survive in a place that destroys everything.
And that was when I knew this was it
My way out.
I stayed still.
Quiet.
Waiting for the right moment to slip away.
But fate never lets things go as planned.
My fingers suddenly brushed against a flower vase.
Just a light, careless touch,but it was enough.
The small flower vase wobbled.
Once.
Twice.
Time slowed.
My breath caught in my throat as my eyes locked onto it, silently begging it to stay still…to stop…to not fall.
But it tilted before i got hold of it.
The edge of the vase slipped past the surface and for a split second, it hovered in the air.
Weightless.
Suspended.
Doomed!!!!!!
Then it dropped.
The sound wasn't loud at first.
Just a sharp tap.
Then—
CRASHED.
The vase shattered violently against the ground, pieces exploding outward in every direction,petals scattered like something that had just died.
The silence that followed was worse.
My heart stopped,then slammed back to life.
Run!!
I didn't think.
I didn't breathe.
I moved.
My body reacted before my mind could catch up, spinning toward the rooftop entrance, my feet barely touching the ground as panic surged through me.
Racheal gasped.
Marco's head snapped toward my direction instantly.
"Someone's there" He whispered.
My heart dropped.
I could hear them behind me.
Like a fast movement.
They knew.
Just a few more steps.
Just a little closer—
Freedom was right there—
But I didn't get far.
A strong hand suddenly grabbed me hard,grabbing my wrist before I could escape.It felt like my bones would snap.
I gasped as my body was yanked backward with force, my momentum breaking instantly as I stumbled, my breath knocked out of me.
"No—!" The word barely left my lips before I was pulled fully into Marco's grip.
His hold tightened, fingers digging into my skin like iron chains.
There was no escaping it.
No slipping away.
No second chance.
I froze.Because I didn't need to turn around to know.
I had been caught.
He dragged me forward, throwing me in front of Racheal.
She stared at me in shock.
Fear flooding her face.
I struggled,but it was useless.
Then i felt a gun pressed against my head.
"I can end this right now" Marco said calmly.His calmness was deadly.
"Someone might hear us if you pull the trigger" Racheal said quickly.
"The gun is silenced" He replied with a faint, terrifying smile.
"You can't kill me" I said.
My voice was steady.Even though my heart was screaming inside my chest.
He laughed. "I can take your life this instant"
"I belong to Richardo" The words came out before I could think.
Racheal frowned. "If you truly belonged to him, you wouldn't be here…working as a maid"
Marco raised the gun again.
This time with intention.
"Marco, please don't!" Racheal cried. "You don't want me to see this version of you!"
He hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then stepped back in frustration.
"You can't trust her" He snapped. "She'll tell everyone"
That was my moment.
"I already know enough" I said calmly.
Both of them froze.
"If I speak…" I continued slowly, "your secret is over"
Racheal's face went pale.
Marco's eyes darkened.
"What do you want?" He asked.
Freedom.
"I leave this place" I said. "And your secret stays buried"
He scoffed. "I would rather take Racheal out of here than a mere hostage"
"Marco…" Racheal whispered weakly.
He exhaled deeply, running his hand through his hair. "I can't take this anymore…it's not a secret if even one person knows"
And then,we heard Alpha's voice echoing from the stairs.
My heart raced.
But my face stayed calm and confident.
"I'm leaving" I said and I walked straight past Marco
Neither of them stopped me.
Because they couldn't.
Halfway down the stairs,i froze.
Alpha stood there for a while.
Watching me.
"Meet me in my room" He said slowly. "12 midnight"
My throat went dry.
I bowed my head immediately.
"Yes…Alpha"
He walked past me.
Like I was nothing.
And the moment he disappeared,I ran down the stairs.
Out of breath.
My heart was racing.
My hands were shaking.Because the truth was—
I wasn't brave.
I wasn't strong.
I was terrified.
But in this world,fear didn't matter.
Only survival did.