Chapter 1

In a mansion, known to be own by a rich old bald man, he goes by the name Robert Bill, who has lots of building and companies, his mansion alone is crowded with a minimum of 30 female maids and 10 cooks, and lots of security guards, unfortunately he lost his wife when she was just 45, his current age is 60, the old man only has a son as his heir, his son Mark, an handsome blonde guy, who’s just in his late twenties, Mark also had access to very few assets of his father, Mark has only one person that will forever stay in his heart, he loves no other girl aside Melody.

Melody happens to be his assigned maid, although when he saw her he didn’t spare her any glance, she’s just a handmaid anyway so no need to spear such peasant a look, but when he was trying to get something from his library stand when he was on the ladder used to get books high up, he slipped and when he heard her beautiful and tiny voice, he couldn’t help but look at her and for the first time, he saw such beautiful and flawless skin and such big and cute green eyes he has never seen, she looked like a cute innocent child in an adult body.

“sir? Are you okay?” she asked very quietly

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Melody has spent 3 years serving Mr. Robert Bill , well mostly his son, yes serving him that didn’t only mean through cooking his meals, tidying his usual spots and everything a maid is to do to her boss, but melody has also been madly in love with Mark and so is he, he’s actually more fond of her, actually obsessed, everyone knew that wherever you saw Melody, Mark is somewhere around he also made sure she had no friendly relationship with the male workers there, you can say he’s quite overprotective and so in love.

Mark is on his way to his room, he just asked where Melody was and he was told by other maid that she’s cleaning his room. When he entered his room he saw Melody cleaning his room, she turned to the door when she heard the door opened then she smiled when she saw him, he locked the door and smirked at her.

“hey baby” he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist and placed his face in the crook of her neck and sniffed her delicious scent that never fails to drive him crazy.

“hi, are you okay” she said as she leans on his manly chest

“yeah, just dad adding to my workload, he needs more kids, so as to help him make a proper life and school for them, he sure holds mom’s last words high” mark smiles in her neck

“yes, and I bet you know that he loves your mom so much that he chooses to help stray kids have a good life, I really hold Mr. Robert in high places” melody said smiling

“MR. Robert? Oh you hold me high ehn” mark teased as his big hand rubbed into her maid shirt, she squealed as she felt his hand under her bra inside her shirt. Marks moved his hand backward and started to unhook her bra then they were interrupted by the knock on the door, Mark choose to ignore it but then the knock came again, he knew who would dare knock twice, it was his father’s personal butler, he cursed him under his breath and received a glare and knock on his head by Melody.

“you have to go, c’mon I’ll see you tomorrow, my work hour is done” Melody said as she gave him a kiss and left to open the door then smiled and bowed slightly to the butler and left, Mark had no other choice than to follow the butler to his father’s office, when he got there his father was seating on his usual study chair behind the table that is filed with documents.

“son, I need more kids, your mother won’t be happy if we’re slowing tings down, I want her to be happy that I helped her carry out what she wanted me to do after her death, and I’ll keep helping her till my last breath” Bill said

“I understand father, I’m also doing the best that can, I’ve searched for street kids and brought than, but don’t worry father, I’ll search for more kids, I want mom to also be happy wherever she is” Mark said with a sad smile.

His mother was a very down to earth woman, although she was rich but she was never a proud one, she was always there for those in need, she cared for them, she even had an orphanage home she visits every week and if she’s free and available, she’ll stay there till night, both of us, I made friends with a lot of kids then, but everyone has different fate in life.

But the truth that no one knows is that, Bill isn’t just taking children to help them and cater for them, but he’s into child trafficking, he brings in the kids and get paid, the higher the amount of children he brings in? the higher his pay. Roberts enterprise has been reducing in shares holding and stocks, the company is clearly collapsing almost near bankruptcy, bill doesn’t want his whole hard work to go to waste so he took the easy route, bribe.

He couldn’t afford to see all that he has worked so hard for just go down the drain, so he had to get his hands dirty and started taking children, claiming he was helping them but in truth he was actually selling them, what happens to those kids afterwards is not his business.

All of his dirty deeds, his son has no idea of.

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Melody was on her way home, then she stopped at a store that makes fast food, she brought some hot bread and a nice orange juice and a little size cake and some few snacks for kids, she walked further down the road and there she was, a little girl around her 6 years, wearing a torn and shabby long top that looked like a gown on her.

She has such small figure, she looked frail and has such pale skin, she looks sick but barely hanging. The little girl looked up slowly out of hunger and her eyes widen in joy and she stood up with little strength and ran towards melody happily, she hugged her waist and looked up at her.

“you came” she chimed smiling and looking up at her still hugging her waist.

“off course I did, I can’t leave you here” melody smiled.

Melody sat with the little girl on the floor by the side of a shabby house, that’s where the little girl sleeps, she lays there and wait for melody, some nights she goes to sleep hungry because melody has night shifts sometimes, so she sometimes has to sleep over at Roberts but still her mind is always uneasy, some she goes bruised, some people gets mad at her for begging for food or trying to steal an apple just to eat as her first meal of the day.

Her name is Sia, Sia happens to be a little stray kid that has no parents nor relatives to take her in, Sia lost her parents in an accident a year ago, then she was referred to an orphanage, but then she escaped, she cries herself to sleep every night, begging her parents to come back to her, having nightmares continuously, she was traumatized at such young age, the only person she could run to and call a friend was the twenty-three years old melody.

“how was work today aunty?” sia asked happily as they were both seated on the floor

“oh work was good, thanks for asking” melody smiled, then she noticed the little girl suddenly looked sad

“are you okay?” melody asked getting worried and fetching out the foods she bought for her

“you shouldn’t be seating on the floor; it’s going to stain your cloth aunty” the little girl chimed sadly.

“huh, oh no, I’m okay if you’re okay, anyways you must be hungry, sorry I came late, here you go” melody said as she stretches forth the nylon containing the foods she bought for her “c’mon now, you need strength so eat” melody said and gave her a cute smile.

“thank you” sia muttered and checked what was in the nylon, almost immediately she smiled happily “fresh bread” she said happily “thank you” she said in a singsong way “can I eat it now?” she asked melody

“off course it’s yours anyway” melody said as she pats and hair and watch her eat the bread greedily and happily, smiling and munching the foods given to her

‘sometimes I wish I can have her by my side to watch and take care of’ melody thought to herself still smiling at sia who is busy eating and eagerly staring at other food in the nylon, mostly the cake.

The reason why melody can’t keep sia with her is not because of her night shifts, but because currently melody is not living alone but with a roommate and her roommate is known to be rude and harsh, she doesn’t even like kids so she can’t imagine what will happen if she leaves sia in her care.  While melody was still watching sia eat, a thought strikes her, ‘what if I allow Mr. Robert take care of her, he can further her education, cater for her, cover for her wellbeing till she’s older.’

Then melody made up her mind to ask mark for help, if his father was willing to take care of sia also.

The next day at work was pretty normal, melody has seen mark going to check on something at work, but he clearly told her he’ll be back early, later in the day, melody was cleaning his book shelf, mark loves to read unlike her that falls asleep on the first chapter of a romance novel, as she was cleaning she heard the door open and close, she turns happily ready to greet him, but stops midway as she sees the scowl on his face. She moved closer to him and carefully allow him sit down first.

“are you okay?” she asked carefully, mark pulled her arm towards him, she yelped a little in shock of his

action, he pulled her to his leg and made her sit on his laps and hugs her tight and hides his face in her

chest, not wanting to let go, melody who was still surprised by the sudden action just stroked his hair

reassuringly.

“do you want to talk about it?” she asked silently

“it’s dad again” he whispered

“hey it’s going to be okay” melody reassured him “there’s something I want to discuss with you actually”

melody said avoiding eye contact with him

“what is it” he said still having his face buried in her chest

“ I have a kid th….” Melody hasn’t finished her statement before she heard mark shouted

“WHAT!” mark yelled to the extent that melody had to get her ears blocked with her hand

“Jesus Christ mark, would you stop yelling” she angrily said not paying attention to his angry face

Mark held her hand in tight grip while she’s still sitting on his lap, “please tell me I’m the father” he said

“what? what the hell are you talking about?” melody asked confused

“you said you have a kid, please don’t tell me it’s another man’s child, tell me I’m the father please?” he begged desperately

“you……...SHUT THE HELL UP” she snapped

“you didn’t even let me finish the statement before concluding with your stupid thinking, seriously how dumb can you be?” melody ranted and knock his head

“I’m sorry” he said as he rubbed his head

“she’s not my kid, she’s a little girl I usually see on the road on my way home, she has no one to take care of her, she’s clearly alone, and I was thinking if your father would like to help her, you know?, give her a roof over her head, take care of her health and education, I know I’m asking for too much but, she’s just too young to go through all these, she’s just a child” melody aid in a low voice and stated tearing up, mark saw that and hug her to his chest and gave her a soothing pat on her back as she still cries a little

“I don’t think I’ll be able to survive if I was her, she’s just too little to go through all the pain, she’s just a

kid, please help her, please” melody silently begged.

“hey now, don’t worry I’ll tell father about it, I’m sure he won’t hesitate to take her in” mark smiled

“and stop crying, you know I can’t handle when you cry” mark said worriedly”

I’m sorry for getting all emotional, thank you” melody smiled and cleans her tears

“don’t mention it love” mark smiled

“would it be possible to bring her over tomorrow, I’ll talk to father about her today, don’t worry okay?”

mark said and winked at her

“thank you so much, you’re the best” she said happily and gave him a small kiss

“hey now, we both know that can’t satisfy me” mark said as he pulled her in for a longer kiss

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Mark discussed about sia to his father, though he already agreed with melody that he’ll check up on the little girl and bring her over to the mansion, before his father takes her to his big orphanage home in New York, mark has visited it once, he thinks that’s actually his father’s orphanage home, but instead it isn’t, it’s just an orphanage home that Mr. Roberts help with their upkeep and wellbeing to assist the children, he doesn’t have one of his own.

When Bill was informed that he found a new kid, he was excited and told him to bring the child over the

next day.

The next day, melody took mark with her, she bought some snacks and little strawberry flavored cake

Then she took mark to the spot she normally sees sia, and she was there drawing scribbles on the floor

then she lifted her head up and saw melody and smiled, she doesn’t recognize the other face but she

was still scared so she hugged melody’s waist and hid behind her and stared at mark in fear.

“hey it’s okay, he’s not gonna hurt you I promise” melody said

“Hello little girl, how are you” mark smiled warmly

“I’m hungry” she said innocently

Mark was shocked at first, then he chuckled and looked around for where to sit then melody notice

 and looked down embarrassed, sia pulled on the hem of his cloth and when he looked down at her, due

to her shortness, she pointed to the floor “uncle let’s sit and eat together” sia chimed

“eat together?” melody asked surprised

“yes” she gave a toothy grin “come, let’s sit down and eat” she said

Mark alongside with melody sat on the floor with sia who seems super excited to have a new friend,

they sat with her as she ate and talked happily with both of them.

The next day Mark introduced Sia to his father at first the little girl was scared but when she started

getting to know him she started warming up to his presents and gifts given to her by him and the

kindness she has been shown by mark and melody and Grandpa Bill, she got used to calling him grandpa

Bill, he was like a grandpa figure to her.

“alright then, are you ready?” Bill asked again, in his coat and close to the heliport where he will use an

helicopter to drop sia at her new home the home where he keeps other children.

“I’m going to miss you so much, don’t worry, we’ll try to check on you when we can, goodbye” melody

said and hugged her little figure in good clothing and a pink coat.

“bye kiddo, we’re gonna miss you so badly, take care of yourself okay?” mark said and ruffles her nice

long and taken cared of hair which earned a giggle from her, mark smiled she hugged them both and

waved her goodbye and went into the helicopter with Bill.

On the way in the helicopter, she noticed they were moving but far from cities and lands, the

Helicopter’s most sceneries are forest and sea, nothing else aside that, then she clung to grandpa Bill cos

it looks scary looking down from this high place, she happens to be afraid of height, then the helicopter

landed at a heliport that seems to be dusty and covered with branches and weeds so they landed

carefully, then Bill helped her out carefully.

“where are we grandpa Bill?” sia asked looking around the withered and abandoned looking factory like

building, that looks haunted and forgotten also the fact that it was on an abandoned island made it

more scary.

As they moved into the scary looking factory, Bill held Sia’s hand because she cling to him looking

Scared and confused at their location, she was supposed to go to school and her new home like

Aunt Melody and Uncle Mark said, then why is she here?

A lot of question bubbled in the girl’s head, but she kept quiet, then when they walked further into the

factory, Sia noticed lights around the place, it looked so white as day, the clean corridor was spotted and

she felt relaxed, the place felt somewhat serene and calm, then Grandpa Bill led her to another door

that led to another corridor, but the light wasn’t as bright as the first one they passed, then they got to a

side where there were so many doors, Sia looked at each confused, Bill opened the one that was opposite them, which was a red door, as they walked in, they were scary looking men in there, some looking like they can kill them in an instant, some cleaning the guns, while some are sharpening their knives to each other, making an uncomfortable sound Sia cling to him the more.

“G…Good day sir” Bill greeted with fear

Then Sia saw a man, around his thirties stood up and smiled wickedly, he had the grin of those villains in cartoons that she watches at mark’s room.

“Mr. Robert, glad you came, for a minute I thought you were going to run away and not deliver, surely you took the right choice to come back” The young man said with deep voice

 “off Couse sir I…I wouldn’t d…dare do such t…thing” Bill stuttered

“that’s good to hear, but I’m afraid we have a problem Mr. Robert” the young man frowned as he picks a knife from his table and rubbed his fingers around the sharp and pointy area and Sia moved behind Bill

“what’s that? it couldn’t possibly be the batch we talked about right?” the young man asked with a scowl

“well the thing is, I wasn’t bringing in a batch this time, I brought this extra because it will be my last drop” Bill said shaken

“your last? and who told you, you could leave the organization when you dim fit?” the young man chuckled darkly.

“I……please, I just want to live in peace” Robert pleaded his voice betraying him quivering

The little girl wondered why he is scared, but shock overtook her when she heard bang and the person she’s hiding behind went limp and fell forward lifeless, she stood rooted on a spot, shocked and then saw the gun on the villain guy’s hand “take him out” he said and motioned some of his men to take Sia to the room “begin the experiment with her”

The men dragged Sia to the white hall rooms she saw when she was walking with Mr. Robert, she struggled hard then they opened a room and pushed her in and entered with her, she saw a hospital chair in the middle, with a lot of restraining belt hanging around the chair, they pulled her to the chair, she struggled, almost getting out of their grips and even biting one of the men hand, the one bitten groaned and slap her with the back of his palm and she fainted and went limp on their grip.

“well that worked” the doctor meant to inject her said and ushered them to place her on the chair and lock her up with the belts “alright bring the wools” the doctor asked the nurse beside him who brought a tray to me and he injected the syringe into Sia’s arm, the men left the doctor to do his job.