Chapter 4
While the three men stared at Damira, seemingly analyzing her appearance, Trinity placed her hand on Damira's arm to guide her to sit down and join them for breakfast.
"By the way, this is my husband, Leo..." Trinity approached the man sitting at the head of the table. The man's face showed signs of age, with white hair, but his attractiveness couldn't be denied. She also noticed the significant age gap between Leo and Trinity.
"And the one on my right is Alexander, our oldest son."
Damira and Alexander's gazes briefly met, and it quickened her heartbeats. Alexander's groomed beard suited him well. If it were on a different man, it might look unkempt, but it worked for him. He looked like a Turkish man with that beard.
"The one on my left is Amaury, our youngest."
She gave a slight nod when Amaury offered her a tight-lipped smile. The man on the left seemed to be closer in age to her, making them look more similar in age.
"So, like I said, she's going to live with us—"
"Are you looking for another house helper?" Alexander interrupted as he wiped his mouth.
"No, she's not going to be my helper... you'll find out soon. Anyway, can we just have breakfast? Damira and I had a rough morning," Trinity explained, trying to shift the conversation.
Damira took a seat next to Trinity, and they started eating their breakfast.
"What do you do for a living, Damira?" Leo asked.
"I work as a cashier at a convenience store," she replied briefly.
"You won't believe that she's the niece of Eddie and Lorna. Do you remember them?" Trinity asked her husband.
Leo furrowed his brows, trying to recall their names.
"Eddie and Lorna... Let me think... I remember them. They were the ones who came here in the middle of the rain to borrow money for their sick sibling."
Damira stopped chewing her food and tightly gripped her utensils. She couldn't explain the anger that swelled within her about what Eddie and Lorna had done to her.
"She's the one who's paying for the debts and working for them! Unbelievable. Lennon even told me that Damira covers all their expenses in the house," Trinity continued to express her disbelief.
She remembered the man named Lennon, whom she had confronted yesterday with anger.
"Thank goodness I went with Lennon earlier. If I hadn't, maybe that wouldn't have been the only thing they did to her," Trinity added.
"Are they hurting you?" Leo asked Damira.
She pursed her lips before responding, "N-not always. Just when..."
"Why don't you leave if they're hurting you?" Alexander questioned her.
She almost raised an eyebrow due to the accusatory tone of his question. It was as if he were implying that it was her fault for staying with her aunt and uncle.
"N-no, it's not that easy to leave my aunt's control. If it were up to me, I wouldn't stay there. I'm just worried about my mom,” Damira explained, emphasizing the last word. "If it weren't for her, I would sleep on the streets, that’s no problem for me."
"What a lame excuse," the man muttered under his breath, but it was loud enough for Damira to hear. It rang in her ears.
"W-what did you say?" she asked.
The couple exchanged glances when they heard Damira's response. In Leopoldo's knowledge, no one had ever dared to talk back to their son like that. He didn't know whether to be pleased that his son had finally met his match.
"Never mind. I hope that Trinity is right in letting you live here," he said, wiping his mouth and standing up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to work."
Once again, she received a brief look from the man before he left. Damira felt unwelcome in his presence, and she couldn't wait to go home. She knew she was not wanted here.
"I'm so sorry for his attitude. He's just going through something right now, and that's why he's like that. You'll get used to it. Just try to ignore him," Trinity reassured her and invited her to continue eating.
"By the way, now that Alexander is no longer here, I want to let you know that Damira is going to be his fiancée," Trinity quickly dropped the bombshell.
She nearly choked on the water she was drinking, causing Trinity to quickly hand her a napkin to clean up the spill.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Leo asked his wife, unable to believe it.
"Why? That's not a wrong idea, right, Amaury?" Trinity questioned, looking at her youngest son. Amaury just shrugged. However, Damira shook her head and stood up.
"I-I can be your housekeeper, cook, car washer, and garden pest remover... I can do all of that, just please don't make me marry a man I don't know," Damira stammered.
"She's right, honey. Let's not make decisions about them. They should be the ones deciding," Leo chimed in.
Trinity also stood up and took a deep breath. "Damira, this is your only chance. I don't want you to go back to your old life. Here, no one will mistreat you. You can but everything that you need and want. You can eat without worrying. There's no one here to degrade you."
The lady looked at the three of them and continued, "This is just for a year. I promise that I will cover all the medical and hospital bills for your mother once the wedding is over. Trust me, Damira, your mother's bill will be paid."
Leo intervened, "Don't rush her, Trinity. She just got to this house."
"I'm sorry; I just thought you and Alexander needed help, so I decided to arrange the marriage. But if you really don't want this situation, I will respect your decision."
For Damira, that day passed peacefully. She didn't dwell on what would happen next. She just wanted to live her life right now. She had prayed for this freedom for so long. It seemed like she was being called by the couple to eat almost every hour.
"Is this really how it is here, in your place? Every hour, someone brings food?" Damira asked, amused. They were currently in the garden, enjoying the fresh air and the scent of various flowers.
Trinity laughed at her question. "You'll get used to it, Damira. We do this every day here."
Meanwhile, Alexander was discussing a matter with his secretary and best friend, Steve.
"Have you heard?" Steve whispered.
"About what?" Alexander inquired, glancing at the papers he was signing.
"Genesis called a while ago. He's already here in the country... with Luanne. You do know what that means, right?"
Alexander paused his work and took a deep breath.
"Maybe I can negotiate with him—"
"You better find a woman to introduce, because if not, he's going to push through with the decision to marry you off to Luanne."
"Do you know I can't do that? Are you crazy?!" He raised his voice slightly.
"I'm just suggesting what's best for you. You surely can't imagine yourself marrying her, right?"
He didn't say anything, but Steve could tell from his silence what his answer was, and he walked toward the door.
"Don't go home to the villa today. You know what you'll find there," Steve advised.
He had spent the whole day with Steve, but he hadn't told him about the new addition to their family.
He couldn't get the image of the woman's furious eyes out of his mind, as if she intended to devour him whole. He smiled. That was the first time a woman had looked at him like that. He likes that kind of woman.
No, no, it's not you, Alexander.
He shook his head, trying to refocus on his work.
He was losing his mind.