Chapter 3

The day for the gala finally came. It was a luxurious event. Lilian watched as the elites of society trooped in. They were surely loaded. She was able to nick a press pass from an unsuspecting journalist and brought a camera and a notebook. She had to look the part. She entered the hall and was almost blown away by how glorious it looked. Her folks would never have dreamed of being here. Everything was beautiful. The drinks were expensive, the food was made by the best chefs, and the decorations looked like gold. It was all bling.

She found a corner and settled herself in and kept watch. Rich people were always careless. A drink was offered to her, and she drank in silence, peering through the crowds for an unsuspecting target. Security was tight, but there were a few loose ends here and there. Soon enough, important personalities were being called. Grace Adams, the fashion icon; Bryan Bailey, the owner of a multi-million-dollar tech company, and Damian Richards, the multi-billionaire businessman. According to Cosmopolitan, Damian was the hottest thing since Carlos Vince. He was a god. Sexy body and a lot of money. Lilian didn't care, of course. She barely had time for men, let alone stuck-up morons like him. She looked at him with disgust. He walked like he was the freaking god of Olympus.

The gala dragged on, music blared, but there was order. Once in a while, she'd take a snapshot or scribble something in her note to make sure she blended in with the press. The party went on, and she wasn't able to get anything, not even loose change. She felt she had wasted her time coming and was about to go home when suddenly, something caught her eye. She noticed Damian put a large wad of cash in his left coat pocket. Stealing from coat pockets was hard, but she could pull it off. She took another glass of champagne and made her move. She walked up to him, with her back facing him, and bumped into him.

"You should watch where you're going, Miss," he said.

"I'm sorry, Sir, I got carried away taking shots of Chris Evans. I didn't see you there."

In those split seconds, she had taken the cash. It was all too easy. Now it was time to make a banana and split it. She headed for the exit but was cut off by two bodyguards who refused to let her through.

"Excuse me, I'd like to leave."

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that. You have to come with us, Miss."

Lilian was terrified. She had been screwed. There was no way she'd be able to fight them. She looked behind the bodyguard and saw a clear path if she could find a way past them. She thought hard and fast and slowly backed away from the bodyguards. Instinctively, they made a grab for her, but she was able to evade and bolted past them in a flash. She could hear their footsteps solidly behind her, but she dared not to look back. She made a turn for an alleyway and quickly climbed over a metal fence. Her parkour came in handy. She was about to make a sharp right when something hit her on the head. The next thing she knew, she was engulfed in blackness.

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Lilian woke with a splitting headache. Everything was fuzzy. Where was she? She looked around and found herself tied to a chair in a large office. She tried to slip out of the ropes, but the knots were too tight. She desperately wanted to rub her aching head. She kept trying to free herself but soon gave up. It was never going to work. She was alone in the large office contemplating her fate. Was she going to die? Was she going to prison? Had she been kidnapped? Theories popped in and out of her head, each one scarier than the last. Lilian had never felt fear in her life, and now that she felt it, she hated it. Why didn't she just leave the idea of going to the gala? If she hadn't been so greedy, she wouldn't have been in this mess.

Finally, someone came in. She couldn't see who it was, but she felt a menacing presence. Soon she heard a voice.

"You, my dear, have a lot of nerve. I like it. What's your name?" the voice asked. It was both smooth and menacing.

"My name isn't important to you. Let me go!" she said loudly. She didn't want the fear in her voice to be detected.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You thought it wise to steal from me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Lilian was desperate now. She wanted, more than anything, to be back at home counting and recounting her previous loot.

"Well, since the hit to the head gave you temporary amnesia, allow me to jog your memory a bit."

Lilian heard a loud thud and saw the wad of cash she had stolen, lying on the table in front of her. She was completely screwed now. The money had her fingerprints on it and everything. Of course, the police could trace the theft to her. She had met the end of the road.

Soon she heard footsteps, and the person took a seat on the chair opposite the table. It was Damian. He looked breathtakingly handsome. His tight white shirt accentuated his well-built chest and abs. He was so handsome that he would certainly give Aphrodite a run for her money.

"What are you going to do with me?" she asked back fearlessly. She wasn't going to let her fear show.

"That is a very good question. But I think the question is... What is a pretty thing like you doing picking pockets?" He put his finger under her chin and tilted her face upwards. She pulled her face away and looked Damian threateningly in the eye. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Lilian. Lilian Mendez." She kept her tone harsh. She wasn't going to show any signs of weakness.

"Well, Miss Mendez. I'd like to make a deal with you. You see, I recently fired one of my maids, and her slot needs to be replaced. If you agree to that position, I'll forget that this whole fiasco ever happened. If not, I could call the chief of police here and have a lawsuit filed against you. So, Miss Mendez, or should I say, Lilian, the choice is yours."

Lilian was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She didn't want to go to jail, and she certainly didn't want to be anyone's maid.

"Time is ticking, Lilian. Tick, tock, tick, tock." Damian was enjoying every second of it. The confusion on her face, the tension in her body, he savored them all.

"Well, it seems you can't make a decision. I'll call the chief of police right away." And with that, Damian got up and made to leave the room. In as much as this was fun, he wasn't going to waste his time with her.

"Wait!" she called out after him. He stopped and waited for her to say more. "I'll do it."

"Excuse me?" he said, pretending he had not heard her.

"I said I'll do it." Lilian felt her stomach clench tightly. "You'll do what?"

"I'll... I'll be your maid," said Lilian with a sigh of defeat.

Damian grinned. He loved having his way. "Alright then. In that case, sign this." Damian produced a document from the table and put it in front of her.

"What's this?" asked Lilian, confused.

"A contract binding you here as a maid. If you go against any of these terms and conditions, you will be handed over to the police, and your pretty little face will rot in jail." This man was not playing around. Lilian was in deep. There was no going back now.

"Well, I can't sign anything if I'm all tied up."

Damian was hesitant to bring a knife to cut her loose. Something about this woman was dangerous. She wasn't an open book like all the other women he had encountered.

"Fine." And with that, he cut her loose.

Lilian massaged her wrists and stared hatefully at Damian. He was a devil. A sexy devil but still a devil. She took a pen and signed the document, and that was that.

Damian took the document and called one of the maids to take Lilian to her room. The other maids came from home, but Lilian would be staying with Damian. Her room was large and comfortable. She was left alone to rest. In the wardrobe, several maid uniforms were hanging. Lilian lay sadly on the bed. She had made a deal with the devil, and soon, her hell would begin. What had she gotten herself into?