"No, I'm not," he said.
Deep down, she thought, If She asked him, his stomach would growl, but it didn't. That means he wasn't hungry.
"How many people do you owe money to?" Tim asked suddenly.
Sam was taken aback. Her whole life, she had worked tirelessly for others, never being paid a dime, and often beaten instead. "No one," she said.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Hmmm…"
"A number keeps calling you every night," Tim said. Just then, the phone rang. Sam quickly grabbed her phone from the bed, but Tim was quicker. He answered it first.
"Hello, Sammy," a voice said in a seductive tone, and Tim slid the phone to his ear.
---
"Hello... I'm sorry for not paying you last time and for hitting you. Can you work for me, please?" the voice said.
Tim cut the call.
"So... you were beaten?"
"Not like that—"
"So...?"
"I feel sleepy after eating. Can I sleep?"
He didn't answer.
"No, I'm not," he said eventually, walking out.
She didn't care. He wasn't the first person to walk out of her life. He wasn't even the eighth. So that was his business. She lied there, trying to sleep.
Then Tim came in, lying on the bed. He faced the opposite side.
She had a plan. When the clock hit 3 PM, she'd get up to take a bath. As her alarm beeped, she stood up. She glanced at Tim—his lips looked sexy. She smiled to herself and went to the bathroom. After bathing, she wore a blue robe and walked back into the room.
Tim was sitting on the bed like a man waiting for his wife to return.
"Come here," his voice was low and aroused as he pulled her in.
"Uh..."
"Where are you coming from?" he asked, now that she was on his lap.
"I..."
"You bathed, and it's not even morning. Are you scared I'll touch you?"
"I'm..."
"Sam, you make me—" he closed his eyes.
"Mr. Tim—"
"I told you, I'm not 'Mr. Tim.' I'm just Tim."
"Tim... Mr..."
She couldn't call her boss by his name. Even though she was his fake girlfriend, she felt like she needed to show some respect.
"I'm sorry I bathed now," she said.
"I'm going to punish you for that."
"Okay."
She said it simply. All her life, she'd been punished for doing the right thing. There was no punishment he could give her that she didn't already know.
Tim slowly loosened the belt of her robe.
Is this the kind of punishment he meant?
He grabbed her breast gently. It hurt a little. Then he let go and moved lower—then stopped.
"This is your last warning. Any more mistakes, I'll punish you for real." He tied her robe back and tucked her into bed. This time, he lay beside her, facing her.
"Face me," he said. She did. Their eyes met—his brown with her blue—and they stared at each other until she fell asleep.
---
Sam woke up alone, her robe slightly loosened. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Then she dressed in a skirt and shirt. Still alone. Tim had taken her phone the night before and hadn't returned it.
After about 20 minutes of staring around the room, she walked to the window. The view of New York was breathtaking. Peaceful. She kicked her foot against the bed and sighed. She had slept, woken up—and Tim still wasn't back.
What kind of trouble was he up to now?
She dragged herself toward the door. Tim never told her to stay only in the room, so she figured she could explore. If he came back and punished her again... well, she'd take it.
She climbed the stairs and wandered through the mansion. So many rooms. Eventually, she entered a room filled with books. She read a few pages, then got bored.
Could Tim have read all these books?
She moved to the garden, cut some beautiful flowers, and returned inside. After exploring many rooms, she walked into one that was clearly different.
Toys.
A baby's crib.
Definitely not an adult's room.
She approached the crib and saw a baby girl smiling up at her. Her heart told her this was real—this wasn't a dream. So Tim had a child... and yet he still behaved the way he did?
She picked the baby up gently. The little girl was so cute, with beautiful eyes. When Sam tried to put her back in the crib, the baby made a noise—like she would cry if Sam left her.
"What's your name?" Sam asked, smiling. The baby giggled.
"Vivi?"
"Your name is Vivi?"
"Vivi," the baby repeated.
Just then, a voice rang out: "Thief!"
Sam turned, startled. It was a young girl. The baby had called her "Vivi."
"Who are you?" Vicky asked.
"I'm Sam."
"Why are you with Alice?"
"Stop interrogating me like I'm a thief. I'm Tim's girlfriend."
"Oh. Another one," Vicky muttered."Sorry for accusing you," she added quickly.
"It's alright."
"So who are you to Tim? Another of his girlfriends?"Sam asked,while Vicky laughed. "Ew, no. I'm his sister."
"He has a sister?"
"Yeah, he does. What, did he say I was dead?"
"No," Sam chuckled. "I just thought he lived here all alone."
"That fool? He doesn't even own this house. Her father does," she said, pointing to Alice, who smiled up at them.
"So... you're not after his money like the other girls?" Vicky asked, sitting on the bed.
"I... don't really know why I'm here."
"Do you like Tim?"
"No. He's annoying. Rude. But sometimes... I feel safe around him."
"Well, good luck. I hope he finally changes and stops treating women like they're disposable."
Just then, the door opened.
"Sam, what are you doing here? And hey, Vivi," Tim said, giving his sister a nod.
"Let's go," he told Sam.
She waved goodbye to Vicky and baby Alice and followed him out.