Present Day

Days passed slowly and she was still locked up at the basement. Olivia kept coming in with food, and Lillian kept refusing it, hoping she would faint and be moved out of the house. Maybe then she could use someone's phone at the hospital. But that didn't work.

The maid stopped coming since she wasn't eating the food. And now, she was too weak to even cry.

When she finally stood, her knees buckled slightly and she had to lean against the wall to stay upright. The thought of leaving the room had never crossed her mind but it did now.

She took one shaky step after another toward door, turned the doorknob and found it unlocked. Her breath caught.

Was this a trick?

She hesitated... then stepped into the hallway. It was dim, narrow and smelled of mildew. She walked slowly, using the wall for support, her legs almost giving up beneath her.

A staircase appeared at the end of the corridor. She gritted her teeth, her head dizzy but she climbed down.

At the bottom, she found a plain wooden door slightly open. Now she was worried, this feels too easy. But still, she pushed it gently and stepped into another space, blinking at the sudden brighter light.

Then her foot slipped.

Her body leaned forward, expecting to hit the hard floor. But only to fall straight into a strong, broad chest. She gasped and looked up slowly with her fuzzy gaze.

Lillian's blurry vision cleared just enough to see a man with a sharp scowl on his face, looking down at her like she was a mistake.

"¿Adónde vas?" He asked sharply, his voice thick with a Spanish accent. His tone held no concern, only irritation.

[Where are you going?]

Lillian's lips parted to answer, but nothing came out. Her head throbbed harder, and before she could try again everything went black.

---

In LA

"The fvck?" Jake snarled, his voice a low growl as he crushed the now-crumpled paper. "Five of my men burned? And the shipment?" His tone was ice, lethal but steady.

Carlos stood to the side, his body tensed with his hands behind him.

"Some were arrested at the scene," he answered evenly. "Others died with the tanker."

Jake closed his eyes, his whole body humming with fury. "He's testing me again," He muttered, opening his eyes.

"Now he drags me to court for embezzlement?" He spat the words like venom. He slammed the file onto his desk and shot up from his seat.

He faced the window with his jaw clenching. His father had pulled the dirtiest card yet again.

The elder Hernandez reported him to court for oil embezzlement, willing to testify against his own son because he had proof that showed his guilt.

His action was also to gain the people's trust and appear righteous because of his upcoming election. And definitely a threat to shove Isabella back into his life, if Jake wills, the old man will drop the case. This was his sick way of snapping the reins tighter.

"What do we do, jefe?" Carlos asked after a long silence. Jake could have easily buried the case but he knew his father won't relent until he gets what he wanted.

Competent lawyers were at his disposal to defend him, but the case was a huge one and his father will see to the person losing their licence.

Jake exhaled and turned back to the room. He rested his hand on the desk, his eyes burning flames on the files.

"Prepare a meeting tomorrow morning for compensation," He said, returning to his seat while grabbing a glass of whiskey that was to his reach, gulping down the whole content.

Carlos gave a slow nod, but in his head, he was calculating their loss. It worth billions of dollars and exactly what his father wanted.

"You're going to court, right?" Carlos said cautiously. It wasn't a question but a statement.

Jake didn't affirm to his words and casually picked up another file.

"The men arrested must be brought to me alive. See to the compensation to the family of the ones who got burnt," He instructed and Carlos shot his brows in confusion.

"You can't give him what he wants,"

"I refuse to be a sh!tty pu$$y and allow him control me as he wants!" Jake snapped his head to him.

"There could be another way, jefe," Carlos proposed. "Mr. Williams sent over a proposal. He's offering a full tanker in exchange for marriage to his daughter. Says once you make her your wife and declare her son with you as your heir, the deal is sealed."

Mr. Williams was just a regular business man that got his hands dirty doing illegal jobs. He's after having power at his side desperately.

Carlos pulled out his phone and slid the latest chart of their supply chain stats across the desk.

"This marriage could help you ditch Ms. Rodriguez. You get the shipment, the men in prison will have to die... unfortunately. A year later, you get a divorce and you're back in control."

Jake leaned back in his chair slowly, a dark look in his eyes. "I won't bring my men to their death,"

"Those men are more than willing to die for you in much as their families will be compensated," Carlos argued.

This way, Jake could avoid appearing in court and the case will be buried. Carlos fears that the elder Hernandez has more up his sleeve if Jake should appear in court.

"I'm done playing the marriage games. Isabella's enough trouble."

"You need a wife, jefe. Sooner or later. You can't avoid that,"

Jake didn't speak until after a few seconds. "After the court issues, I'll see to it,"

Carlos nodded, silence engulfing them the next second before he cleared his throat, looking around, "Efren told me you brought someone to the mansion... the girl. The lawyer."

Jake glanced at him sharply.

"You planning something with her?" He asked.

"That's my business to deal with," Jake said, standing up from his seat. Carlos gazed at his retreating back before speaking;

"You need a lawyer."

He paused in his tracks, turned away again, his voice calm but chilling. "Contact Efren. Tell him we've got a lawyer to contact."

Carlos' expression shifted, "Which one?" He wanted Jake to clarify, "No lawyer will risk their license for this."

"She already did once." He smirked without looking back. And that confirmed Carlos' guess.

This was his idea to make the girl useful without being the one to propose it. But in his own perceptive, killing her would have been best for what she did instead of keeping her closer.

Inhaling and exhaling, Carlos pulled out his phone and dialed Efren.

When Lillian eyes opened again, the first thing she felt was the dull sting around her wrists. She looked down and realized her hands were handcuffed to the hospital bed.

She blinked a few times. The bright white lights above her made her eyes water. Her head pounded like it was being hit from inside. Just as she tried to sit upright, the door creaked open.

A tall man stepped inside, dressed in a black hoodie and black boots. The man she saw before passing out. In his hand was a shopping bag. His brown eyes scanned her briefly before he casually walked closer and dropped the bag on her lap.

"El jefe sabe nada de esto. Todo esto cortesía de la Sra. Rose. Nos vamos en cinco minutos," he said in a low tone, his words coming fast and sharp.

[The boss knows nothing about this. This is all thanks to Ms. Rose. We're leaving in five minutes.]

She gawked at him, "I'm sorry, I don't understand Spanish... but I heard you mention Ms. Rose... right?" she stuttered weakly, sitting up gently.

Efren stared at her with scrutiny. He still couldn't shake off his disappointment. He expected someone as daring as her to have some skin on her bone but no, she was just so thin even on the day he brought to the Mansion. And now, she looked thinner all thanks to starving herself.

He was on his way to inform her the news he was asked to relay to her, just for her to faint in his arms. Jake only knows nothing about bringing her to the hospital or passing out.

His eyes trailed over her figure lazily, still unimpressed.

"We leave in five," he finally said in deep English, pulled out a small key and uncuffed her wrists, not sparing her a glance before walking out.

Lillian rubbed her wrist, groaning at the soreness in her limbs. Her stomach growled loudly, but when she opened the bag, there was no food.

Instead, there was a pressed navy-blue suit, a small packet of water, a pair of heels, and some files.

She blinked in confused, pulling out the documents. It was some thick stapled files with printed texts and a few highlighted paragraphs. But her migraine was too much. Her eyes crossed as she tried to focus on the words.

None of it made sense. Her head was spinning too badly to focus.

She cleaned herself up quickly, and dressed in the suit. The moment she was done buttoning it up, the man returned exactly after five minutes.

Efren stood by the door with his arms crossed. He gave her a single curt nod and she followed behind him. The thought of escaping did crossed her mind but seeing some men watching them as they leave the hospital, she knew what their jobs were.

They got into the car, and silence filled the space between them as he drove.

She was really starving. She glanced at Efren briefly whose gaze was on the road, then lowered her gaze back, falling on the files on her laps.

She picked it up and turned to him out of curiosity, "Uh... para... con these documents?" she asked awkwardly, trying to add little Spanish.

Efren didn't answer. Just when she was about to stop embarrassing herself, he turned the wheel and pulled into a gated building.

She squinted at the sign above. Then her heart sank.

Palacio de Justicia.

She knew those words well. They were in a courthouse. She quickly flipped open the files again, scanning the bold heading: Case No. 1047 – The Government of Spain vs. Jake Hernandez

Her lips parted.

"What are we doing here?" Her voice trembled, staring at the man beside her. Efren turned off the engine and finally looked at her.

"To defend the boss." He stepped out of the car afterwards.

Lillian didn't move. Her fingers shook around the file. She was here to defend Jake?

She didn't even remember the last time she ate, let alone felt human. And now they wanted her to walk into a courtroom and save the man who is about ruining her life?

She skimmed through the summary. There was strong evidence linking him to the crime. And worst of all, his father had already announced he had more evidence to present during the trial.

"No... no, no," she whispered, flipping through the files with trembling fingers. This was way beyond her.

She stepped out of the car in a rush, running around after Efren. "I'm not fit for this," She said behind him, her heart racing.

Right at cue, an armoured black SUV maneuvered into the parking lot. Lillian watched with her heart racing as the door opened and Jake stepped out.

Efren bowed slightly in courtesy.

He wore a fitted black suit with a black shirt underneath, no tie, just sharp and clean. A white earbud sat in one ear, and dark shades covered his eyes, but nothing could hide the scar that ran down the side of his face.

It only made him look dangerous.

When their eyes met, Lillian hastily dropped her gaze, unable to hide how intimidated she felt.

"Nice suit, Dulzura," She heard him say, making her shudder as she perceived his strong cologne approaching.

Jake sized her up with his narrowed eyes. She was thinner than before. Paler. And the way she gasped made his smirk widened. Pathetic, he thought. But useful.

He turned his gaze to Efren, who bowed again before leaving them alone.

"What are the questions you would like to ask before the trial begin?" He asked her calmly.

He expected her to look up now but she was still looking down. He was beginning to grow impatient by this pathetic act.

"I hate repeating myself," He said sternly.

Because of how scared she was, a pitiful tear fell on her right cheek, sniffling before raising her head. She blinked rapidly to maintain eye-contact through her blurry gaze.

"I-I c...can't do it," she stuttered inaudibly with her heart hammering.

He didn't respond to her words, his eyes fell on the files she was clutching in her hands.

"I didn't ask you to do it," He stepped toward her until there was barely a foot between them.

"I command it." He whispered to her ear.

Whatever she would be saying in court doesn't matter. All he wanted was for her to make an appearance and his father be present. Getting rid of that old cunt would be nothing but fulfilling his dying wish since he was a boy.

Lillian could feel her breath quickening. She doesn't want to appear in a court she once worked at.

How Jake was able to make her appear in court explains to her how far he can go to get what he wants.

"Going against my words will cost you the heads of your parents," He threatened.

He didn't need to touch her to make her bleed; his words were sharp enough. He looked past her to the CCTV positioned above them. Every move was being watched.

Mentioning her parents was a threat and she knew this well. Jake gave her no break, as if tired, grabbed her wrist and pulled her in.

She didn't struggle to get his hands off her. All her thoughts was how she could calm down and not fumble, but also filled with fear. When they arrived at the door, he let go of her hands and she wiped her tears.

After a breath, He pushed the door open without hesitation and walked in without her. She felt a strong wave of nostalgia hit her as she stared at the court. The atmosphere was tense inside. High-ranking officials, reporters, and foreign diplomats filled the gallery. The case had drawn the country attention.

Lillian stepped forward and sat at the defense bench, her heart pounding as she glanced sideways at Jake.

He looked... calm.

Too calm.

He had taken off his shades, his gray eyes flicked to her for the briefest second. His mouth twitched up in amusement. She swallowed hard before looking away.

Everyone rose to welcome the judge. Lillian had her head hung low before looking at the judge.

She stood stunned. It was Chief Judge Kingston. The judge mirrored her expression but he was quicker to recover than her.

"Court is now in session. Please, be seated," the judge says and everyone returned to their seat.

The trial went on and the prosecutor laid out horrifying details about the case and the evidence that linked to Jake.

Lillian was distracted the whole time, then it was her turn to defend the charges. She rose hesitantly, turning slightly to face the evidence board.

Just as she was about to open her mouth, the bailiff approached the judge and whispered something. The judge frowned.

His eyes met Lillian's before looking down at the documents on his desk. The change in his aura was evident and heavy silence followed.

"The case is dismissed," He announced and Lillian's eyes widened. She turned to Jake, found him to be clenching his jaw with his tight fist on the desk.

He looked so furious. Murmurs filled the room as the judge hitted the gavel before leaving the courtroom.

Lillian stood frozen in place, confused. Her eyes were still fixed on the judge's bench, trying to make sense of what just happened.

Why dismiss the case?

Before she could piece anything together, Jake walked toward her in long firm strides. His jaw was tight, his eyes cold. He looked anything but relieved.

"What's happening?" she asked carefully as he reached her.

He should be pleased that the case was dismissed but he looked upset. Instead, he grabbed her hand tight and started dragging her out of the courtroom.

"Wait... Mr. Hernandez!" she called, stumbling behind him. His pace was fast, and she could barely keep up, but he didn't slow down.

They got to the parking lot, and just ahead, Lillian saw Chief Judge Kingston standing by a black car as if he was waiting for someone.

She slowed, when their eyes met and he mouthed some words to her. She squinted, focusing hard on his lips.

Then he raised his hand, shaped like a phone, and mouthed one word again: "Telecom."

Telecom?

Her eyes widened a little as she grasped the message. He was trying to tell her something. But before she could react, Jake opened the car door. A sleek black vehicle had pulled up beside them.

She didn't give any sign of acknowledgement to the judge and simply climbed into the car, Jake sliding in beside her.

The chauffeur shut the door and drove off immediately. The atmosphere in the car is intense.