From His Maid To His Mafia Queen

Adeline was still smiling from her mother's words when she stepped into the living room. Moments earlier, her mother had been fussing over her, smoothing the collar of her blouse, tucking a stray braid behind her ear, and telling her how beautiful she looked. "You've grown so much, Ada," her mother had said with a smile. "Sometimes I look at you and wonder when you became this big." Adeline had laughed. "Mummy, I'm not that big." "To me, you will always be my little girl." The words had made Adeline smile even wider. It had felt like an ordinary moment. Warm. Familiar. Safe. Then her mother had said something that changed everything. "Your father wants to see you. He has something important to tell you. Don't worry. Come and hear it yourself." So she had. And now, standing in the doorway of the living room, that warmth was already starting to fade. Her father sat stiffly on the edge of the sofa, his hands clasped together so tightly that his knuckles had paled. Her mother lowered herself beside him. Her stomach tightened. "Dad?" Her father finally looked up. For a moment, he simply stared at her. There was something in his eyes she had never seen before—fear. "Sit down, Ada," he said. She walked over and sat opposite them, her eyes moving between her parents. "What happened?" "Nothing happened," her mother quickly said. Adeline frowned. "Mummy, you're both acting strange." Her father looked down at his hands again. "I don't know how to say this. I've been trying to find the right way to tell you, but there doesn't seem to be one." "Dad, you're scaring me." "I'm sorry." He took a deep breath. "You know how much we love you, Ada. Our only child. From the day you were born, your mother and I promised ourselves that we would never let you suffer if there was anything we could do about it." His voice trembled slightly. "Whatever it took, we would do it to give you the best life we could." Adeline listened quietly. "Do you remember when you were in secondary school? That term your fees weren't ready in time?" She searched her memory. "I remember." "That school was expensive," her father said softly. "We wanted the best for you. And when your fees were due, we didn't have enough." Adeline's brows pulled together. "So what did you do?" "We borrowed the money." "From who?" He hesitated. "From the Cross family." The name landed heavily in the room. Adeline stared at him. "The Cross family?" "Yes." "Why didn't you tell me?" "Because you were a child. Your only responsibility was to go to school and live your life." His eyes became wet. "I wanted you to have the things other children had. I didn't want you looking at us and worrying about money." Adeline's chest tightened. "Dad..." "But I should have told you." A tear rolled down his cheek. Adeline froze. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her father cry. "I didn't sell you out, Ada," he whispered. Her eyes widened. "Why would you say that?" "Because of what I'm about to tell you. We couldn't pay the money back." The room became painfully quiet. "But you said you borrowed it years ago," Adeline said, her mouth going dry. "So what's the problem?" "We paid what we could. We negotiated. We asked for more time. But we couldn't clear it. And the debt kept growing." He finally named the amount. It was more than she had ever expected. Much more. "You've been owing them all this time?" "We've tried everything," her father nodded. "We paid what we could, we negotiated, we sold some things. But your mother and I are getting older. We can't work the way we used to. And the debt has continued to grow." Adeline looked at her mother. "Why didn't you tell me?" Her mother's eyes filled with tears. "Because you were building your own life. We didn't want to burden you." "But I'm your daughter," her voice broke. "I should have known. What do they want?" Her father closed his eyes briefly. "They're calling in the debt." "What does that mean?" He looked at her. "They want you to come and work for them." Adeline blinked. "What?" "Two years. And then the debt will be cleared." Adeline said nothing. Her mind went blank. She looked around the room she had grown up in. "You want me to leave?" Her father's face crumpled. "No. But I don't know what else to do. We've thought about this from every angle. We've prayed over it. I've spent nights wondering if there was another way. There isn't." Adeline felt something inside her break. For a moment, she wanted to say no. She wanted to tell them that it wasn't her responsibility, that two years was too long. But then she looked at her father—the man who had worked until his hands were rough just to make sure she never lacked what she needed. Beside him sat her mother, the woman who had spent years making sacrifices without ever complaining. They had carried the burden quietly for her. Now it was her turn to carry something for them. Adeline reached across the space between them and took her father's hand. His fingers closed around hers immediately. "It's okay," she whispered. Her father shook his head. "No, Ada." "Please don't cry. You protected me for years." She squeezed his hand. "I'll do it. I'll work for them. If two years is all it takes to clear the debt, then I'll do it." Her mother began to cry as Adeline tried to smile. "Two years will pass." She excused herself and walked toward her room. The moment the door closed behind her, she leaned against it, her breathing uneven. She walked straight to the window, her favorite spot in the house, overlooking the small garden outside. Whenever life became confusing, she came here. Tonight, the garden offered no comfort. How could everything change in one conversation? A soft knock came at her door. "Ada? Can I come in?" The door opened slowly, and her mother walked in, sitting beside her at the window. "Are you okay?" Adeline looked down. "I don't know." Her mother reached out and smoothed a hand over her hair. "I know this feels like a lot. I don't want you to think we're sending you away because we don't love you. Your father has never forgiven himself for taking that money." "He did it for me," Adeline said quietly. "He did it because he loves you," her mother whispered, pulling Adeline into her arms as her eyes filled again. "We're not losing you, Ada. You'll come home." That was what finally broke her. The tears she had been holding back fell freely, and for a while, she allowed herself to cry. When her mother finally left the room, Adeline returned to the window. She was troubled. Cold, somehow, despite the warmth of the room around her. She was going to a place she knew nothing about, to work for people she had never met. She wasn't going there to be rescued or to depend on anyone. She was going there to settle her family's debt. Two years. She would work. She would keep her head down and do what was required of her. And when those two years were over, she would come home and regain her freedom. Whatever happened inside the Cross estate, she would not allow it to break her. Adeline lay in bed staring at the ceiling, replaying the conversation again and again. Her father's tears. Her mother's embrace. The amount of the debt. The name Cross. What exactly would they expect from her? She had no answers, only questions. The sky outside had just begun to lighten. Tomorrow, she would start preparing. Adeline closed her eyes. Two years, she reminded herself. Two years to settle the debt. Two years to earn my freedom back. And with that thought, exhaustion finally won, and Adeline drifted into a restless sleep.