Chapter 9 - The Debt of Loyalty
Anna gasped, her hands flying to her mouth to cover a sob. She was losing her income.
"Please, sir," Anna cried. "I need this job to pay for my nursing school. I won't ever speak out of turn again."
Leo stepped forward and gently reached out, placing his hand over hers.
"You didn't speak out of turn," Leo said softly. "You spoke the absolute truth when everyone else was too terrified to say a word. You knitted a blanket to keep my mother warm when the woman I was supposed to marry tried to freeze her to death."
He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his sleek, black checkbook. He didn't hesitate as he wrote out a number, tore the check, and handed it to her.
Anna looked down at the paper. It was a check for one million dollars.
"Sir! I can't take this!" Anna cried, completely overwhelmed by the impossible number.
"That covers your nursing school tuition, in full, at any university you choose," Leo stated firmly. "And it buys you a very comfortable house."
"But my job..." Anna whispered.
"You are no longer a maid," Leo smiled—a rare, genuine expression of warmth. "Starting tomorrow morning, you are the Head of Estate Medical Care. Your only job is to ensure my mother is comfortable, safe, and treated like a queen. Nobody will ever raise a voice to you in this house again. Do you accept?"
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Anna broke down into heavy, beautiful sobs of absolute relief, nodding her head vigorously. The crushing weight of her poverty was instantly erased.
👉 What happens to the cruel fiancée, and how does the story end?
