Laura's point of view
Resigned to my destiny, suspended between fear and emptiness, I closed my eyes. I didn't want to beg anymore. I felt that my life was ending and, at that moment, a strange calm invaded me. But fate, with its macabre irony, had one more joke prepared for me.
"Daddy!" The sweet, clear voice made me open my eyes suddenly. I turned my head and saw a little girl, an angel with blonde hair and blue eyes, standing in the doorway.
The man who seconds before had filled me with terror was petrified. His facade of toughness broke for an instant. "Zoe!" he exclaimed, his voice softened by surprise and panic. "What are you doing here, little one?" He looked at his men, furious.
"I wanted to see you and Alice didn't want to let me come, so I ran away."
The little girl's tenderness completely disarmed me. For a second, I forgot where I was and the threat hanging over me. Her adorable voice made me forget that my hands were tied.
"You know you can't come to this side of the house. Carlos, take her to her aunt."
"Who is she?" Zoe asked, pointing at me. Her childish eyes went down to my hands. "Why are her little hands tied?"
An awkward silence took over the room. No one knew how to answer.
"Hello, little one," I intervened, and my voice, which I expected to tremble, came out surprisingly firm. "I'm a friend of your dad's and we were just playing a game to see how long it would take to untie me. He says he's faster than me... And I think he's right, I already lost." I pouted, acting the innocence I no longer had.
"Ha, ha, ha! How fun! I want to play too!" said the girl, with a genuine laugh that resonated in the tense atmosphere.
"It's an adult game. Now go to Alice while your daddy and I finish talking."
I knew I was wasting the only chance to escape, but I wouldn't be so cruel as to use that angel to expose the demon she had as a father. The girl approached and wrapped me in a hug. All the men were speechless, astonished by the scene.
"I like you. I'd like you to come visit me another day," she whispered, and then left, leaving a void in the room.
The air was filled with tension again. I took a deep breath, waiting for my end.
"Get out of the room," the boss ordered. His voice was thunder that echoed in the large room.
The men obeyed without hesitation. The boss looked at me with his dark eyes, fixed on mine, as if trying to read my soul. Then, he approached. My survival instinct was activated, and I took a step back.
"You're lucky. I thought about getting rid of you, but my daughter, for some strange reason, talked to you."
He held out his hand and, with a quick movement, untied my hands. The relief was immense.
"So you'll let me go?" Hope returned, a spark that refused to be extinguished.
"You're not that lucky. You'll stay in this house until I decide what to do with you."
The look in his dark eyes held me, and his voice, which had been cold and distant, turned into a strange mixture of seriousness and sarcasm.
"My name is Damian. And yes, you'll stay in this house. But not as my prisoner, but as my daughter's nanny. Zoe liked you, and since her mother died, no one has managed to get such a genuine smile out of her as I saw when you spoke to her."
My mind struggled to process his words. From a kidnapping to a nanny? It was such a drastic change of roles that I found it impossible to understand. However, my heart felt relieved for a second. From an almost certain death to a life with the opportunity to help a girl. Maybe this wasn't my end.
"And what will happen to my family? To my mother. She's looking for me," my voice trembled.
He walked to the window, turning his back to me.
"Don't worry. Your mother will soon receive a call informing her that you are with an old friend, who has offered you comfort and refuge during your divorce crisis."
"And Felipe?"
"He won't look for you. If he does, he'll have to face me, and I assure you he won't like the result."
"Why are you doing this?" I asked, unable to avoid curiosity.
"Let's just say Felipe owes me a favor. And I think you're the best payment he can offer me."
The air in the room was filled with unbearable tension. As much as I tried to find the good side of the situation, I felt like I was in a dangerous game. My life didn't belong to me, I had become a simple chess piece on this man's board.
"By the way, if you think of escaping, not only will you pay the consequences. So will your family."
I froze. At that moment, I knew there was no way out. I was trapped. Not by the bonds on my wrists, but by the threat on my backs. Damian's gaze was a cold promise, and I had understood it. I wasn't a nanny, I was a prisoner with a new mission.
The following days became a blur. Damian kept his distance, without interacting with me, as I adapted to my new reality. I was introduced to Alice, an older woman with a tough character who seemed to be Damian's right hand. She taught me the rules of the house and explained my duties with Zoe.
Little by little, the life of this strange family was revealed to me. Zoe was a ray of sunshine, a girl full of energy and laughter who, despite her young age, had a strong spirit. We spent hours playing, painting, and in those moments, I forgot that I was in a golden cage, that my life was on pause.
One night, while Zoe was sleeping, the sound of the television made me leave the room. I saw Damian sitting in the living room, with an expression of deep loneliness. I stood watching him for a few seconds, and I realized that despite being a dangerous man, he was also broken inside.
He sensed my presence and looked at me with his penetrating eyes.
"What are you doing awake?"
"I was just walking a little," I replied.
"Have you talked to your mother?" he asked.
I remained silent, knowing that if he had kept his word, my mother would no longer be worried about me.
"Don't worry, she's fine. She believed the story," he continued, unconcerned.
"Why are you doing this? I mean, I'm nobody in Felipe's life," I asked in a low voice.
"I already told you, this is a favor that Felipe owes me. And you... are the best payment I could have received."
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