"There is no use crying over spilled milk," she consoled herself as she went to take her bath.

"What is going on here?" she asked Claudia, shocked.

"Since Mr Thompson is going to spend the night here, then I rearranged the room, and I was instructed that you are meant to take a beauty bath every evening before you go to bed," Claudia said with a smile.

"You are disturbing and stressing yourself for no reason. He has gone back to where he came from," Claudia gasped. "Did you make Mister Thompson angry? You have to appease him when he comes next, or else you will be dead," Claudia said, scared.

Astrid was shocked about how scared Claudia was and how Claudia feared the cycle so much. "Why are you afraid?" Astrid asked.

Claudia replied, "Nothing, miss."

"Not wanting to leak out information for the sake of her life," Astrid thought.

"Talk to me and drop this formal behavior," Astrid said.

"I was instructed to say nothing regarding my past," Claudia said.

Astrid sighed because of that, because that cycle might have had some delays with her family too, and she is here to make up for the debt.

Please remove the petals on the bed. I will like to rest once I am done with my bath," Astrid said.

Astrid went inside the bathroom and was shocked to see that the bathtub was also with petals floating in the water. Astrid laughed aloud; she couldn't hold it anymore.

"Andrew loves petals this much," she decided not to say anything and just enjoy her bath.

While Astrid was enjoying her bath, Claudia came inside, saying, "Sorry I am late."

"Why are you here?" Astrid asked.

"I am here to help you take your bath," Claudia replied.

"I can do it myself," Astrid said.

"I am meant to ensure that your personal hygiene is up to one hundred and one percent," Claudia said.

"Go away," Astrid said.

"Unfortunately, I am under strict orders," Claudia replied. "I don't need your help. I can also give you a massage if you want," Claudia said

"I don't need this; I can do everything on my own," Astrid said. "Let's agree on something," Astrid requested.

"Okay, I will do some of my work, and I won't tell Mister Thompson that I did them myself. Is that okay?" Astrid asked.

"I'm sorry," Claudia said, apologizing as she picked up the sponge, and Astrid lay back, knowing that Claudia's loyalty was 100%.

After the bath, Claudia gave Astrid a nightwear, and she had dinner. "Where are my bags?" Astrid asked.

"Mister Thompson sent them, but he threw away your clothes. Why, I don't know," Astrid said. At least her laptop, important documents, and her mother's picture were still safe.

She decided to check on the vacancies available, so she would try her luck tomorrow. Astrid woke up and found out that she had fallen asleep on the dining table. She checked her email and found out that out of all the available companies she had applied to, only three had approved of her work and asked her to come for an interview. But luckily, the interview was scheduled at different times, so she would be able to make it.

She rushed to the shower because her next interview was in an hour and thirty minutes. After getting dressed, she faced the biggest problem: there was no mode of transportation. She didn't have any money on her. She saw her car parked neatly in the parking lot, but she wasn't with the key. She didn't even know where exactly the villa was located, so she would know how far she was from her next destination.

Time was already running out. She pondered on what to do and finally decided to call her friend Ashley to come and pick her up. "Where are you?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know... I'm at one of Mister Thompson's mansions," Astrid said.

"What are you doing there?" Ashley asked.

"It's a long story; please just hurry. I don't know where that is because I can't go looking for you in every mansion he owns. He owns...," Ashley replied.

"I'll send you my exact location. Please hurry up; I'm running late," Astrid said, ending the call.

Everywhere was quiet; Claudia and the rest were still sleeping. She checked the time, and it was 8:25. She barely had an hour left, and her ride wasn't there yet. The environment was empty; there was no one around aside from the guard, who kept grumpy faces. She couldn't imagine talking to them or telling them her movement, so she decided to wait for Ashley.

Ashley arrived by 8:55, and Astrid was pissed. "What kept you so long?" Astrid asked.

"Number one, I was barely out of bed when you called. Plus, no one informed me that I had to do an early pickup this morning. Can't you see I'm still in my nightwear? I just rushed out to help you. Number two, finding this place wasn't easy, and there is tight security outside this gate. This gate is as if he bought everywhere...," Ashley said.

"Please " Astrid interrupted because she was tired of listening to Ashley. But I mean, did he buy this whole...?" Ashley asked.

"What exactly are you doing here? I thought Mira was the one who was engaged to him. What are you doing here? What about George and Mira? Do you know this? We're friends, we're best friends, and you're keeping everything away from me."

"This was the exact reason we no longer became best friends. The main reason I became distant. Best friends won't sell you out for likes and comments on Instagram," Astrid said.

" How much do you think your stories are worth on Insta? " Ashley asked with a dirty look.

" Seriously?? " Astrid asked in disbelief.

"I apologized already ,but there was nothing for me to post about for almost two months. There was nothing good happening in my life. I started losing followers, and it was really bad. Plus, that post made me gain the attention of the Brooks family. They love me now "

"They don't love you; they're using you to get juicy gossip because that's what you're good at," Astrid said, offending Ashley with the last part

"Excuse me?" Ashley said, feeling annoyed with the last sentence. I'm sorry, please just drive," Astrid apologized, even though she knew she had told the truth. She didn't want to be kicked out of the car because she was stranded.

"Fine, where am I going to go? Corporate society? Why do you want to go there?" Ashley asked.

"I'm going for an interview," Astrid replied.

"What?" Ashley exclaimed with a smile. "Astrid wished she hadn't told her that. It explains why you're dressed like this. The young daughter of the Waltons needs a job," Ashley said with mocking laughter.

"Wait, did your family cut you off?" Ashley asked.

"Is everything funny to you?" Astrid replied.

"I'm sorry, but it's hilarious," Ashley said.

Astrid ground her teeth and looked outside while wondering how she had met Ashley and how exactly they became best friends. If she had known this was how Ashley would turn out in the future, she would have avoided being friends with her

"I'm sorry, please just drive," Astrid apologized, even though she knew she had told the truth. She didn't want to be kicked out of the car because she was stranded.

"Fine, where am I going to go?"

"Seth's Corporate society? Why do you want to go there?" Ashley asked.

"I'm going for an interview," Astrid replied.

"What?" Ashley exclaimed with a smile. "Astrid wished she hadn't told her that. It explains why you're dressed like this. The young daughter of the Waltons needs a job," Ashley said with mocking laughter.

"Wait, did your family cut you off?" Ashley asked.

"Is everything funny to you?" Astrid replied.

"I'm sorry, but it's hilarious," Ashley said.

Astrid ground her teeth and looked outside while wondering how she had met Ashley and how exactly they became best friends. If she had known this was how Ashley would turn out in the future, she would have avoided being friends with her.

*After the interview*

"How did it go?" Ashley asked.

"It went well. I'll have to be hopeful," Astrid replied,

"You haven't told me what's going on with you and Mr Thompson."

"Actually, nothing's happening. I just needed a break away from home, so I decided to go somewhere and clear my head," Astrid said still not revealing what was happening between her and Mr. Thompson.

"Then why didn't you go to George's place and when did you and Mr Thompson become that close?" Ashley asked.

"We're breaking up," Astrid replied.

"Oh my god!" Ashley gasped. "But what exactly happened?"

"Look, my life is messed up right now. I'm not in the mood to complicate matters further," Astrid said.

"What do you mean by complicating matters further? Telling a friend a problem complicates matters further," Ashley asked.

"Ashley look, I don't want to do this," Astrid said.

"I've been putting up with your shitty attitude since I picked you up. I'm tired. Find someone else to vent your frustration on," Ashley said, picking up her jacket and walking out, leaving Astrid stranded.

Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Andrew came to check on his little mistress and called Claudia's name because he couldn't find her.

"Yes, sir?" Claudia answered fearfully.

"Where is she?" Andrew asked, crossing his legs and tapping his fingers lightly on the dining table.

"I-I don't know, sir," Claudia stammered. "Didn't you see when she left? Weren't you the one who dressed her?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I overslept," Claudia apologized.

"How exhausted were you last night?" Andrew asked. "What was the main reason I specifically assigned you to her?"

"To keep an eye on her, sir," Claudia replied.

"What was she doing on her laptop?" Andrew asked.

"I didn't pay much attention. I'm sorry," Claudia said, kneeling down, knowing she had neglected her duties.

Andrew stood up and left, not wanting to be harsh on her since it was her first time, and she was mentally stable even after leaving her family.

Astrid, tired and hungry, had no one in her contact list who would help her, even if she begged. She thought about walking home, but it would take her three days or more to reach her destination. Just then, Sir Thompson showed up for a business meeting, and she hoped he would take her back. Her phone, her only source of companionship, suddenly went off. She sat in the waiting room and watched people carry on with their duties.

Twenty minutes later, two good-looking muscular men walked up to her, and she thought they were members of the security team, noticing she had stayed too long. But they followed her outside, and Astrid wondered why. She thought maybe Mira sent someone to kill her for sleeping with her beloved fiancé or that they were serial killers who wanted to assault her sexually. Astrid was scared and confused, so she started walking faster.

Andrew, who was waiting in the car, was fed up with the whole chase. So, he got out of the car and carried her across his shoulders. Astrid screamed, thinking she was being kidnapped, but she calmed down when she saw Andrew's face.

"What were you doing there?" Andrew asked in a cold voice.

"How did you find me?" Astrid asked, instead of answering.

"What were you doing there?" Andrew repeated, this time in a much harsher tone.

"I went on a job search," Astrid said, looking out the window.

"How long was the interview meant to last?" Andrew asked.

"There was no means for me to come back," Astrid replied.

Andrew took a credit card from his pocket and gave it to her. "Here," he said, handing her the card, annoyed that she was broke.

"I can't take it," Astrid said.

"As long as you're mine, I'm responsible for everything you need," Andrew said, placing the card on her lap.

Reluctantly, Astrid took it. "Thank you," she said in a low tone.

"Here's your key," Andrew said, but Astrid recognized it wasn't her car keys.

Andrew shot her a glare"accept it or else" look. "Thank you," Astrid said, forcing a smile.

Astrid's eyes snapped up to Andrew's, her heart racing as she realized the key wasn't the only thing he was offering her. The air was charged with tension as he leaned in, his lips inches from hers.

"The key comes with a price to pay," Andrew said, his voice low and husky. Astrid's eyes locked on his, her mind racing with possibilities as he reached out to brush a strand of hair behind her ear.