CHAPTER 3: THE RISE OF DR. ARYA
1855 Words
Eight Years Later.
Eight years is a long time. It is enough time to heal wounds, enough time to change destiny, enough time to turn a maid into a queen.
For eight years, I did not rest. I did not stop. I used every peso Doña Solana gave me like it was gold. I finished High School in a year, skipping grades because of my intelligence and hunger to learn. I worked part-time jobs — washing dishes, cleaning offices, selling goods — while studying in college. I lived on bread and water just to save money for books and tuition.
I remembered every insult Sebastian threw at me. You are just a maid. You are dirt. You have no value.
Those words were my fuel. Every time I was tired, every time I wanted to give up, I heard his voice in my head. I studied Medicine, specializing in Neurology and Rehabilitation — exactly the field that dealt with injuries to the legs, spine, and nerves. I became obsessed with being the best. I graduated at the top of my class, with highest honors. I went abroad for further studies, working in the best hospitals in Europe and America.
I became Dr. Arya V. Sandoval.
The girl with no shoes, no money, and no status was gone. In her place stood a woman who commanded respect wherever she went. I was now the youngest Chief Surgeon at the country’s most prestigious private hospital. I was famous. I was wealthy. I was beautiful, sophisticated, and powerful. I wore designer clothes, expensive diamonds, and carried myself with the kind of confidence that only true success brings.
I had my own private clinic, my own cars, my own empire. And I had information. I kept track of the Montecillo family every single day.
And what I learned... was sweet music to my ears.
After I left, their luck ran out. Don Enrico’s business decisions turned bad. Their partners abandoned them. Their reputation crumbled. A scandal hit their company, draining their wealth. Then, Don Enrico suffered a massive stroke, leaving him paralyzed and bedridden until he died two years ago.
Without his father’s guidance and money, Sebastian was lost. His arrogance remained, but his power was gone. Worse... his condition deteriorated rapidly. The old injury in his leg became infected, spreading into his bones and bloodstream. He developed a rare, life-threatening condition that caused severe pain, muscle decay, and weakness that was slowly creeping up his body.
He went from walking with a cane to needing crutches. From crutches to a wheelchair. From wheelchair to being bedridden and in agony.
The best doctors in the country were called. Specialists flew in from abroad. They all shook their heads. "There is nothing we can do," they said. "This disease is rare. It requires a specific technique, a specific understanding of nerve and tissue regeneration. Only one person in the world has mastered this procedure. Dr. Arya Sandoval."
I was the only one who could save him. I was his only hope.
And today... today was the day I had been waiting for.
"Dr. Arya?" My secretary knocked softly on my office door. "The Montecillo family has arrived. They have been waiting in the private lobby for three hours. They are very... anxious."
I stood up from my leather chair and walked towards the large mirror on the wall. I adjusted my white doctor’s coat — pristine, expensive, embroidered with my name in gold letters. I fixed my hair, applied a shade of red lipstick, and smiled. It was a cold, beautiful, terrifying smile.
"Good," I said smoothly. "Let them wait a little longer. Let them feel what it is like to be helpless. Let them feel what it is like to beg."
Five minutes later, I walked out of my office. I walked down the wide hallway, heels clicking rhythmically on the marble floor. Nurses and staff bowed their heads as I passed. I was their boss. I was the best.
I entered the VIP reception area.
And there they were.
Sitting on the uncomfortable velvet chairs, looking small, tired, and worn out, was Doña Solana.
My heart clenched painfully. She looked so much older, thinner, her hair almost completely white, her clothes simple and faded. But her eyes... her eyes were still kind, still warm, still full of love. She looked up when she heard my footsteps. Her eyes widened. Her hand flew to her mouth.
Beside her, supported by two men, was Sebastian.
He was a shadow of the man I remembered. He was pale, gaunt, his cheeks sunken, his skin stretched tight over his bones. He was leaning heavily on crutches, his legs trembling violently just standing up. He looked weak, defeated, and in constant pain. But even in this state, his eyes still held that familiar arrogance... until they landed on me.
Sebastian froze. His crutches almost slipped from his hands. His jaw dropped open. He stared at me, unblinking, as if seeing a ghost.
"Arya..." he whispered, his voice cracking, raspy and weak. "Is... is that you?"
Doña Solana stood up shakily. She took a step towards me, tears already falling down her cheeks. "My child... my Arya... you are the doctor?"
I walked closer. I didn't bow. I didn't look down. I stood tall, towering over them with my presence. I looked at Doña Solana first, my expression softening just a fraction.
"Good morning, Doña Solana," I said, my voice calm, elegant, and powerful. "It has been eight years. You look... well."
I lied. She looked terrible, and it hurt me to see her like this. But I had to stay strong.
Then I turned my gaze fully to Sebastian. I looked him up and down — from his messy hair to his trembling legs. I saw the fear in his eyes. I saw the regret. I saw the longing.
"Good morning, Mr. Montecillo," I said, emphasizing his surname, the name he used to throw in my face. "I heard you are sick. Very sick."
Sebastian dropped his crutches. He fell to his knees on the marble floor right in front of everyone. He didn't care about his pride anymore. He didn't care about who was watching.
"Arya... please..." he wept, tears streaming down his pale face. "I know... I know I don't deserve it. I know I was a monster to you. I know I said terrible things. I threw you away. I treated you like dirt. But please... look at me. Look what has become of me."
He grabbed the hem of my coat, his hands shaking.
"I have regretted every single day since you left. Every day I wake up in pain, I remember your face. I remember how good you were to me. I remember how much you loved me, and how stupid I was to throw it away. I lost everything — my money, my health, my father, my company... but the only thing I truly lost... was YOU."
He bowed his head until his forehead touched the floor.
"I love you, Arya. I realized it too late. I love you more than life itself. Punish me. Hurt me. Shame me. Do whatever you want to me. Just... please... save me. I don't want to die."
Beside him, Doña Solana also fell to her knees. She crawled forward and held my hands, kissing them repeatedly. This woman, who was once the mistress of a grand mansion, was now bowing to the girl she once fed and protected.
"Please, Arya... my daughter..." she cried, her heart breaking. "I know he hurt you. I know he broke you into pieces. I know we do not have the right to ask anything from you. But I am begging you... as a mother... please save his life. He is my only son. He is broken now. He is humbled. He knows his mistakes. Please... don't punish me for his sins. I have nothing left but him."
She looked up at me with pleading, tearful eyes.
"I will give you everything. The little house we have left. The land. My jewelry. My life. Just save him."
I looked at them — the man who destroyed me, and the woman who saved me. My heart was torn in two. Revenge whispered Let him die. Let him suffer as I suffered. But gratitude whispered She was good to you. She is innocent.
I pulled my hands gently away from Doña Solana and knelt down to her level. I wiped her tears, just like she used to wipe mine.
"Doña Solana... please stand up. You do not kneel to me. You are the only person in this world who deserves respect from me."
I turned my head slowly to look at Sebastian. He was still kneeling, trembling, waiting for his verdict.
"I will save him," I announced clearly.
Sebastian gasped, his shoulders shaking with relief. Doña Solana cried harder, hugging me.
But I wasn't finished. I stood up and looked down at Sebastian with cold, merciless eyes.
"I will save his body. I will fix his legs. I will make him walk again. I will give him back his health. But... I will not give him back his freedom, his pride, or his dignity."
I signaled to my assistant to bring out a contract — a thick document I had prepared months ago, just for this moment.
I threw it on the floor in front of Sebastian.
"Read it. Sign it. Every page."
Sebastian picked it up with trembling hands. He read the title: SERVICE AND OWNERSHIP AGREEMENT.
"These are the terms," I declared loudly, for everyone to hear.
"First: Everything you own — your remaining lands, your properties, your name, your assets — they all belong to me now. You have nothing. You own nothing. You are penniless."
"Second: You owe me your life. Therefore, you belong to me. You are my property, Sebastian Montecillo. You are my employee, my servant, and my possession."
"Third: You will live in my house. You will work for me. You will serve me day and night, just like I served you. You will cook, clean, wash, carry, and obey every single word I say. If I tell you to stand, you stand. If I tell you to kneel, you kneel. If I tell you to be silent, you do not speak. You are no longer the Master. I am the Mistress now."
Sebastian looked at the contract, then at me. He looked at his mother, who nodded desperately, urging him to sign.
He picked up the pen. With shaking hands, he signed every page.
He handed it back to me. He looked at me with eyes full of love, regret, and submission.
"I am yours, Arya," he whispered. "My body, my life, my soul... they are all yours. Do with me whatever you want. I deserve it."
I smiled, a smile of absolute victory. I turned around and walked towards the operating room, leaving them behind.
"Bring him in," I commanded my nurses. "And tell him this... The maid he threw away... is now the mistress of his fate."
- Writer
