Chapter 1

That year, the flood hit hard. My grandma gripped her grandson for dear life and kicked me off the edge of the wooden tub I was clinging to without hesitation.

Somehow, I didn't die. I managed to grab onto a floating log, and while I was at it, I ended up dragging a battered, amnesiac man out of the water with me.

Back in those days when everyone was just trying to survive, we had nobody but each other. We were both struggling, finding comfort in each other's misery.

I didn't eat a single bite of the relief food and saved it all for him. That was how I ended up with chronic stomach problems.

We lived under bridges, picked up junk, and started with nothing. But somehow, we carved out a place for ourselves in the city.

He once promised he'd make me the happiest woman alive.

But when his memory returned, I found out he was actually the only son of the wealthiest family in Willowcrest, Lucas Gilbert.

The day the luxurious car came to take him away, the woman inside was his fiancée—the same one who'd disappeared with his money when he was down and out.

He glanced at me in my rough, homespun clothes, his eyes cold like I was a stranger. Then he turned and gently draped his coat over his fiancée's shoulders.

He said to me, "Sophia is delicate and can't handle hardship. We need a maid at home. I think you'd be perfect for the job."

*****

The second night after I got back to Grant Villa, the front door swung open.

Lucas Grant came in with Sophia Lane hanging onto his arm, both of them smelling of alcohol.

I rushed over, carrying a bowl of soup I'd just made to help with their hangover.

Lucas didn't even look at me. He just went straight to the couch and flopped down.

Sophia curled up against him, giggling and whispering sweet nothings.

I handed him the bowl and said softly, "Mr. Grant, have some soup. It'll settle your stomach."

Lucas frowned but took the bowl.

He took a sip, and his expression soured in an instant.

Suddenly, he hurled the scalding soup all over me.

The bowl hit the floor and shattered into several pieces.

The hot soup trickled down inside my shirt, making me shiver from the burn, and my hand was left with a big, angry red mark.

Lucas shot me a cold look. "What, are you trying to scald me?"

Sophia put on a show of surprise, covering her mouth. "Lily, seriously? You can't even handle soup without messing it up."

The other servants kept their heads down, not daring to say a word.

Biting back the pain, I knelt down to gather the shattered pieces. "Sorry. I'll make it for you again."

Lucas kicked the broken pieces aside, and one of the shards sliced across the back of my hand, leaving a fresh cut.

Towering over me, he looked down with cold disdain.

He said icily, "Lily, if you don't know your place, then get out. Right now.

"Don't think just because you gave me a few buns back then, you can play the host here.

"In this house, you're just a servant. Don't try to compete with Sophia."

I bit my lip, staying silent.

A dull ache started in my stomach—that old stomach issue acting up again.

Just then, someone started pounding on the villa's front door.

The banging echoed through the night, sharp and jarring.

The butler had barely opened the door when an old woman and a young man burst inside.

I looked up and saw it was my own grandma, Lisa James.

And right behind her was Ben James, the grandson she'd risked everything to protect back then.

Lisa was dressed in a flowery jacket, her shoes caked in mud.

She spotted me kneeling on the floor and stormed over, jabbing a finger at my face.

"You little brat, so you've been hiding here, living it up," she snapped.

"Why didn't the flood just take you out back then? You're nothing but trouble," she spat.

After cursing me out, her attitude did a complete 180 as she turned to Lucas.

Her face lit up with a fake smile. "Oh, you must be Mr. Grant. You're such a handsome young man.

"I'm Lily's grandma. I was the one who watched over you two when you were escaping the flood."

Ben stood off to the side, his eyes darting around the villa, checking out all the fancy decorations.

He was still clutching an apple he'd just swiped from the fruit bowl on the coffee table.

"Grandma, this place is massive. Way better than that dump we used to live in," Ben said, grinning from ear to ear.

Lucas frowned, taking a step back with a look of distaste.

Then he glanced at me, a mocking glint in his eyes. "So, you're Lily's family?"

Lisa nodded. "Yes, yes, I'm her grandma, and this is her little brother.

"Mr. Grant, Lily's been working for you for ages. Even if she hasn't achieved anything big, she's worked hard.

"Now that Ben's grown up and still doesn't have a real job, could you maybe make him a manager at your company?"

I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up and snapped, "What are you even doing here? We have nothing to do with each other anymore."

Lisa slapped me hard across the face. "Heartless brat. You get rich and just forget your own family?"

Sophia stood off to the side, watching the show, loving every second of it.

"Lucas, since they're Lily's family, just let them stay."

Lucas nodded and said to the butler, "Take them to the best guest room on the second floor."

Lisa and Ben were grinning from ear to ear, thanking him again and again.

I looked at Lucas, my heart turning to ice. "Lucas, they almost got me killed back then."

Lucas let out a cold laugh. "So what? That's your mess, not mine."

He jabbed a finger at the closet under the stairs.

"Since your family's here, the maid's room is taken. You'll be staying in the storage closet," he said, voice icy.

That place was always pitch dark, packed with musty, moldy carpets.

I kept quiet, swallowed my pride, and turned away without a word.

The pain in my stomach kept getting worse, but I forced myself to walk into the storage closet and shut the door behind me.

I curled up on the cold, hard floor, clutching my stomach.

I could hear Ben shouting with excitement from upstairs, and the sound of Lucas giving them money.

I remembered that flood all those years ago.

When that wave crashed down, my grandma didn't even hesitate. She shoved me away without a second thought.

I closed my eyes, feeling tears slip from the corners and quietly pool in my ears.

I might really die here.