The Devil's Au Pair

Julietta Castellanos “If you escape, I’ll hunt you down even from hell!” A sinister laugh followed as my evil stepmother, Ramona Castellanos, tightened her hold on my neck. With my hands tied behind me, I was completely at her mercy. I wished my dad, Eduardo Castellanos, were alive to know her true nature. Why he ever married her was beyond me! “Where is your father’s last will, b***h?” gritted out her partner in crime, her twin brother, Miguel Villegas. With a criminal background, he was a force to be reckoned with. Panic settled in my heart as I choked and struggled to get free. “Please let me go. I know nothing about my father’s last will.” It was true. My father had a huge stake in Grupo Lismore, a major food company, making him one of the wealthiest in Mexico. He hadn’t accepted me since my mom, Mariah Castellanos, died twenty-two years ago. It broke me to know he held me responsible for my mom’s death. Was it my fault she died giving birth to me? So, it was my nanny, Sophia Diaz, who had brought me up like her own. My dad had a violent streak in his nature that held me back from facing him. As a result, I feared him and kept out of his way for the rest of my life. He didn’t need me or anyone else. So, it surprised me when he remarried two years ago and brought home the evil Ramona. “Hand her over to me, sis. I know how to get it out of her.” Miguel’s lustful eyes checked me out. I knew his intentions very well. Now tied up and at their mercy, I wished I had died with my dad. “She’s yours, Miguel. Do what you want with her, but don’t kill her. I want her alive.” Ramona released my throat, shoved me backwards, and glared at me with intense hatred. “Please let me go. I swear I won’t ever return. You can have everything, Ramona.” I knew it would fall on deaf ears, yet I kept trying. For the last ten days, they had kept me tied, gagged, and locked up in the basement of our mansion. After my father’s sudden death, Ramona threw out all the staff overnight. I had no clue of her intentions when Miguel captured me in the middle of the night and imprisoned me in my house. Not a soul knew about the abuse I was going through. “Do you think I’m a fool to let you go?” Ramona laughed, and her evil brother joined in, too. “She’ll involve the cops if we let her go, sis.” His lustful gaze wandered over me, and I had the urge to throw up. I had to escape from this place before he touched me. I would rather die than let that happen. “I swear on my mom, Ramona. I won’t involve the cops. Please don’t kill me. I’ll go somewhere far away and forget my real identity.” Helpless tears fell from my eyes, but they did not affect them. “Mig, drill some sense into her if she wants to live. You have twenty-four hours to cooperate, Julietta.” She marched out in a fit of rage, leaving him with her evil, thirty-five-year-old twin. “Please don’t hurt me. I know nothing about the will. Please let me go. You can have all the money.” The tears cascaded down my cheeks while he seemed to enjoy my discomfort. “I want you too, kitten. What’s the hurry?” Miguel leaned over and grabbed my chin to force me to look at him. “I won’t kill you if you can please me,” he hissed, for my ears alone. Bile rose, clogging my throat, and this time, I couldn’t control myself. I threw up all over him, making him yelp with disgust. He released me and stepped backwards. “You disgusting little b***h!” Relief flooded through me to see him rushing out of the place, muttering curses at me. “Elena, clean the b***h up and bring her to my room.” Now, the relief was short-lived as I realized what he intended to do with me tonight. No, I couldn’t let him touch me. The thought made me even more nauseated, and I threw up again. Elena was Ramona’s trusted attendant and bustled inside to clean me up. She was the only one they allowed in the basement for me. “I need to freshen up, please.” I gave her a pleading look, and she finally took pity on me. “Fine, I’ll untie you for five minutes. Let me get a change of clothes for you. Be quick.” She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. My heart thumped with hope. This was the only opportunity I would get to escape this place. I knew the room very well. It had been my play zone in my growing-up years. The large egress window of the room acted as an emergency fire exit, too. If only I could break open the lock. I looked down at the chair, and an idea came to my mind. Could I use it to break it open? I had to take the chance. With the shockproof and soundproof walls, the sound of the crash wouldn’t travel far. Within a second, I was up on my feet. The first thing I did was lock the door so that Elena couldn’t enter. Picking up the chair, I hurled it against the curtained windows with all my might. To my utter disappointment, nothing happened. Time was running out, and I had to hurry before they realized what I was up to. Picking up the chair, I hurled it again, this time with double the force. The glass shattered, leaving me enough room to slip out. The sharp edge of the glass grazed my skin as I squeezed through the opening into the window well on the other side. I knew this route perfectly as I used to play hide and seek here with Sophia when young. The window well was deep, with a permanently attached ladder for safe egress. I clambered up clumsily as fast as I could. Now, all I had to do was dash across the backyard towards the back gates. They weren’t manned. I could easily jump over them. I was almost halfway to the gate when I heard Elena yell. Panic settled in my heart, and I raced towards the locked gate. Climbing as fast as I could, I crossed over and jumped onto the pavement. I could hear a stir inside the house. Did they realize I had escaped? I raced down the street as fast as my legs could carry me. All I needed to do was hitch a ride and escape as far as I could from my home in Tijuana, Mexico. A car screeched to a halt, almost hitting me as I tried to cross the street. In my panicked state, I had hardly noticed it speeding towards me. I fell to the ground, scraping my knees and hurting my elbows. Pain surged through my body, and I heard an elderly man curse as he emerged from the car. “Oh, poor thing! Is she alive, Alan?” I heard an elderly woman’s voice. It sounded so motherly, I opened my eyes and looked at them. “I don’t know, Rose.” The man with salt and pepper hair and twinkling blue eyes patted my cheek. “Are you okay? Here, let me help you up.” I was too dazed to utter a word, and he helped me up onto my feet. “You should be careful while crossing the streets,” he scolded me, turning to leave. “Oh, thank God you’re alive.” The woman turned toward the man. “She’s in a state of shock, Alan. We can’t leave her here in the middle of the road.” The kind woman helped me to her car. “Where do you live? We can drop you home.” I came to my senses, and a shudder went up my spine. “No, please. They will kill me. My dad died. Please, can you hide me tonight? I promise to leave in the morning.” Hot tears poured down my cheeks as I pleaded with folded hands. “Who?” asked the man with a frown. “My stepmother.” I trembled with fear on hearing footsteps echoing down the street. Maybe they were now looking for me. “Let’s help her, Alan. Anyway, her wounds need first aid.” I closed my eyes as fatigue washed over me. Alan started the car and drove me far away to their house, but I lost consciousness on the way. I woke up later in a cozy, warm bed, clad in a clean cotton dress with my wounds tended to. The woman, Rose, walked into the room with a smile of relief. “Oh, good to see you awake. How are you feeling now?” I sat up, feeling guilty for burdening them with myself. “I’m better. Thank you for saving me. I’ll leave now.” Her husband came into the room. “No, you won’t go anywhere. We will help you. What’s your name?” I was in a dilemma. Should I be honest with them? Everyone in Tijuana knew my father, and it would be difficult to hide here from my stepmother. I would have to leave the country anyway. “I’m Julietta Castellanos.” Their eyes widened with fear. “Are you the only daughter of Eduardo Castellanos?” asked Alan, his face grim with apprehension. “Yes. But I’ll escape far from here. I won’t put your lives at risk.” “No. I won’t let you go alone. I’m Alan Mitchell, and this is my wife, Rose Mitchell. We’re US citizens here to wrap up some work. We will be returning to New York soon. You can come along with us.” Tears of helplessness sprang to my eyes. “I don’t have the documents, Alan. I can’t leave the country.” He smiled. “Let me take care of that. I’ll help you start afresh in life, Julietta.”