Chapter 4

Third-Person's Point of View

The thought of shouldering everything was too much to bear for Anita.  She wanted to cry, but she was too dehydrated at that time to shed more tears and her throat was getting dry already that was why she decided to go to the kitchen inside the servant's quarter to get something to drink.

"Yes, my friend's working visa already expired, but she still could work. She had been doing that for five years without getting caught." Anita knew it was her Vietnamese roommate who hadn't come back to their room to sleep.

They were talking about something that grew her interest and she couldn't wait to hear more.

"But that's scary. What will happen once you get caught?" Someone asked.

"Deportation?" Anita heard as a reply.

Their conversation gave her an idea. She knew it was illegal, but for her, it was better than going back home and working like there was no tomorrow just to sustain all their needs and her father's medical needs.

She decided to come out to get her water. When they saw her, the two servants immediately left. After getting her water, she went back to her room and found her roommate preparing her bed to sleep.

"Can I ask you something, Bian?" Anita finally got the courage to ask.

"Sure! What is it?" Bian replied. 

"I didn't mean to hear you and the other servant talking a while ago. If you wouldn't mind, can you tell me about it too?"

Bian gave her a frown before asking, "Don't tell me you are planning to stay."

Anita lowered her head, but her silence was enough for Bian to conclude. They had never been that close, but sleeping in the same room made them talk and consider each other as friends for they both came from the same agency and they are both Asian.

"It only happened that I have a huge problem right now and I need to continue working," Anita uttered, bowing her head because she was afraid she would cry again.

"I understand. I can take you where my friend currently resides and we can ask if she can help you." 

She immediately called her friend to notify her and the next weekend, that was where Anita and Bian went.

Anita discovered there was a community that had been helping alien workers from around the globe, but they were paying them monthly in exchange for their protection and a place to stay. 

They gave Anita enough information so she wouldn't be surprised with what kind of life she would have once she decided to take that option and hearing those convinced her that that was the only option she had.

At that time, Anita felt her problem was finally answered. There was fear because she would be staying illegally in a foreign country, but she wanted to take all the risk for my sick father—for her family.

After that day, Anita's aura changed. Linda noticed it and she was delighted, but not until she asked. "I'm glad you can smile now Anita. Is there anything good that happened that you haven't mentioned to me yet?"

Anita was quite confused about whether to share it with her or not, but knowing Linda and how kind she had been since her first day in the mansion, she told her everything she was planning. 

"N-no, Anita. Don't you ever do that…" Linda became hysterical.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Peters, but that's the only option I have," Anita apologized, bowing her head out of shame and regret after telling her everything.

Linda grabbed Anita's hand. 

“Whoever convinced you and told you about that option, don't listen to them. You don't know how much danger you would be facing. I can feel and see in your eyes that you only wanted to do that for your family, but Anita, that's not the only way."

"I'm so sorry…" 

"Look at me, Anita," Linda requested. Anita slowly raised her head and did as Linda requested. 

When their eyes met, Linda uttered, "I will help you find a way, Anita. I don't want you to put your life at risk."

Anita couldn't answer right away because her plan was final. However, because Linda was waiting for an answer, she nodded and after that, she didn’t hear anything from Linda about it again.

For the time they were in the kitchen, Linda was in deep silence. She was thinking about what and how she would help Anita and on that same day, Anita was requested to come to their boss' office.

Anita, who hadn’t met their boss, felt so nervous. Her heart was pounding as she walked along with Linda to where William was. She had never climbed upstairs to the office ever since and since she started working as a kitchen assistant, she also hadn't encountered their boss face-to-face.

All servants working there had designated places to maintain, and hers was only in the kitchen. She hadn’t been to the dining area because servants were assigned to serve food.

When they reached the front door of their destination, Linda told her to come in by herself. As she pushed the door open, she saw a man sitting behind an office desk. He was holding a folder, reading Anita's files intently when he noticed someone had entered. 

He closed the folder and asked Anita to sit.

William was reading Anita's files when he got curious about the young lady’s background after hearing what problem she was facing. It had been a habit for him to record every servant who came in and went for safekeeping, but he never had time to read all the files individually—only that time because he wanted to make sure Linda's kind heart was not getting fooled.

Anita sat on one chair in front of the desk across from the man. She knew their billionaire boss’ age was close to her father’s, but seeing the guy in front made her wonder how much collagen or stem cells he had been injecting into his body to look younger.

“I heard you need help,” William broke the silence.

Anita seemed to wake up from her stupor when the man suddenly spoke, and it was a little late before she realized what he meant.

Linda and her roommate were the only ones who knew her problems. She wanted to ask him who had told him, but her question was answered when Linda popped into her mind, it was their boss asking and Anita was too shy to admit that she needed financial help. More on to extend her stay because she needed work. 

She just slightly bowed and couldn’t look straight into her boss’ eyes. William already knew everything and he had an idea of how to lessen her burden.

William opened his desk drawer, took a pen, and wrote an amount on the cheque. Anita heard the ripping of paper, and when she raised her head, she saw her boss trying to hand her a piece of paper.

“Here, take this. I know this is enough to help your family and don’t risk hiding just to provide for your family’s needs.” He placed it on the desk, making sure Anita could see what he had written.

As the moment she saw the amount, Anita’s eyes widened in disbelief when her eyes landed on the five-digit numbers on the paper. The amount was over three and a half million pesos, and it could already pay all their pending hospital bills and still more left, but she got scared of taking it.

“I-I couldn’t accept this, Sir. I would rather work to earn this and solve my problems by all means,” she said. Anita maintained respect for her words and ensured she wouldn’t offend her boss with how she insisted. Little did she know, William was impressed with her answer while thinking about his only son that the only thing he knew to do was waste money he didn’t even sweat earning.

“What kind of help do you need, then?” William implored, taking the check from the desk and ripping it in front of her, making her nervousness rise as she watched him do so.

She felt slightly regretful but wanted to stay firm with her words. She thought as fast as she could. She was still shy, but she wanted to take her shot for the sake of her sick father and colossal debt.

“What I only want, Sir, is to extend my working visa here in America,” Anita replied, swallowing her pride and removing every bit of shame from her body.

William thought for a second. He checked the time on his watch and discovered it was already 9:45 pm. William needed to leave already. He had a late-night flight to France, but before so, William promised Anita that he would try his best to give her the help she needed.