“Petit a petit, l’oiseau fait son nid” – French Proverb.

  “I had no family”.

  If asked, these would be the words she would use to describe the early years of her life. Born into an impoverished family, her earliest memory of that time was when she was sold into servitude as soon as she could walk. For years after, she endured harsh training in all manners of household responsibilities while in the ownership of her master, including those that a child her age should have no knowledge of.

  She hated those days but, early on, she understood that that this was the only way for her to survive. For years, she continued her training, gradually learning to hide her feelings behind a mask of smiles. Eventually, the skills that her master wanted her to learn, she mastered them. From how to cook dishes in different styles around the world all the way down to the tiniest details, such as what angle her bow should be when greeting guests.

  While difficult, those days in servitude were still the highlights of her early years. It was tough, but it brought stability into her life. Her master and his family never mistreated her. They simply treated just as they would any of their other servant, and for her, that was enough. Unfortunately, this momentary happiness was not destined to last.

  When she turned six years old, her master’s family went into bankruptcy. Betrayed by a business partner, he was sentenced to a lifetime in prison, his property, confiscated by the state to repay his debts.

  She was inventoried by the people sent to collect her master’s belongings and eventually put up for auction to various parties. Dressed in a raggedy piece of cloth, chains around her hands and neck, she was led onto the stage and made to line up alongside other servants.

When the auctioneer called out her name, he listed her qualifications and began taking bids. One by one, the various bidders offered a price for what they believed she was worth, each bid driving her valuation higher and higher.

  On the stage, she looked out into the crowd. Many of the bidders that she could see were men, but there were a few women bidding on her as well, each with their own intentions. All of them were dressed in outfits that were the latest fashion of the day, the kind that she believed she would never be able to wear in her lifetime. She watched as the crowd of bidders dropped one by one until only a few remained.

  “One Million!” a man best described as a fat pig in her mind called out.

  “Two,” a different man responded.

  “Any other bid?” The auctioneer asked. “This is probably the finest slave in the entire estate. Young, she has plenty of room for growth and plenty of experience in various fields. Any buyer would be lucky to have her. Do I see three million?”

  “Three million!” another man shouted.

  “Do I hear four? Four million anyone?” the auctioneer continued to cajole the crowd.

  Eventually, the pig of a man won, and she was sold for ten million, an unimaginable sum for a slave, but apparently that was what she was worth.

  She was then led off the stage and taken to his seat, her new master. He held tight to her leash, continuing to bid for other servants that suited his fancy as she kneeled on the ground next to him, waiting for this to be over.

  When the auction was over, she and another servant the man bought were brought back to his manor, a building that was twice the size of her previous master’s, located right in the middle of the country’s capital.

  She was handed to the butler in charge of the house and was told to get cleaned up immediately. After her shower, the other servants handed her a see-through negligee and instructed her to go to her master’s bedroom. It was then that she understood what her new reality would be.

  The next year would be the harshest year of her young life.

  Unlike her previous master, this man was cruel. His sadistic tendencies were only rivaled by his ability to keep up a gentlemanly façade whenever guests were around. At night, he would call her to his room and had his way with her to his satisfaction.

  Whenever something happened that infuriated him, he vented his frustration by whipping her small body, leaving various scars on her back, her arms, and her legs. To hide the scars, she began wearing outfits with longer sleeves as well as black leggings as she went around doing her daily chores.

  From time to time, she tried to rely on her fellow servants to help escape the pain, but they simply ignored her, interested in only their own self-preservation. She tried complaining but that only earned her a scolding from the butler of the house or, in the worst-case scenario, a beating if words of her complaints reached her master’s ears. Faced with an inescapable reality, she put back on her usual mask and went about her day, smiling as if nothing in the world could affect her, waiting, praying, that one day it would all end.

  A year to the date that she was originally purchased by her new master, the manor was caught in a large fire, as if her prayer has finally been answered. While everyone scrambled to escape, she quietly made her way to a small room that functioned as her living space for a year, locked herself inside, and lay down quietly on her bed, hoping that the fire would wisp her away to a better future.

  However, her expectations were once again betrayed as the door to her room was kicked open and a man, dressed in a tuxedo, casually strolled inside, and picked up her small body in his arm. Smiling, he took her out of the room as he walked through the fire-filled corridor and brought her outside, fading into the night before anyone noticed she was gone.

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  She struggled multiple times against her unknown kidnapper, begging him to let her go, to let her die in the fire but the man continued to hold her tight in his arm. He brought a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet and then calmly put his hand on her head, stroking her hair, telling her to go to close her eyes and go to sleep.

  Unable to resist a sense of fatigue that began to take over her mind, she fell asleep.

  When her eyes were opened again after a long sleep, she found herself lying in a clean white bed, in a room that she did not recognize. Ointments were applied to her burn and bandages were applied to all her scars. Afraid, not knowing what was going on, she tried to escape only to find that she was too tired to even move.

  When she finally calmed down, she realized that no matter what happened next, her prayer was finally answered, not in the way she expected but, she still finally escaped from that hell hole. Her train of thoughts was interrupted when a knock rang out on her door.

  “May I come in?” a man’s voice on the other side of the door asked.

  “Yes.” She replied hesitantly.

  Opening the door, the man she saw the previous night walked in. His blond hair shone in the morning light that permeated her window. His body was thin, but she could tell from his gait that he was more capable than he let on. His eyes as he looked at her, were like the endless blue sky that she often found herself staring at whenever she wanted to fly away from her current predicaments.

  He brought with him a plate of apples that he set on top of a nightstand beside her bed before pulling out a chair and sat down next to her.

  “You don’t have to worry. You’re safe here.” He reassured her.

  “Your master died in the house fire and as far as the state is concerned, so did you. We had a replacement corpse that was around your size to take your place in that fire. DNA tracing is practically impossible as everything was burned to a crisp.” He explained to her.

  “I mean you no harm, of that you can be confident,” he continued. “However, I do need you to do something for me in exchange for your new life.”

  “What do you want from me?” she asked him.

  “Become my daughter.” He answered.

  “What do you mean?” she asked him again, confused as to his request.

  “It’s as I said. I want you to become my daughter. My family will adopt you on paper. Don’t worry, your background has already been thoroughly prepared so no one will ever find out who you were.”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Why do you want me to become your daughter?”

  “Ah… You see, I have a son. He’s about six years older than you right now, around fourteen years old, but he’s a bit lonely as he’s my only child. I’m often away on business so I want him to have a little sister to keep him company.”

  “Why can’t you and your wife just…”

  “Perish the thought”, the man interrupted her question. “One son is enough for me honestly. He’s adorable but I can’t possibly handle another one. Someone like you is perfect. Mature for her age. Understand what is required of her. Your acting leaves a bit to be desired but, it’ll work.”

  “So, you just want me to act as your daughter and a younger sister to your son?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s all?”

  “That’s all.”

  “You won’t beat me if something happens?”

  “Absolutely not. On my honor, I swear that no one in my family will do anything unsavory toward you nor will we make you do something you do not want to do.” The man declared, his face smiling.

  “Can I have a bit of time to think about it?” She asked.

  “Not a problem. Even if you don’t agree, nothing will happen to you. We will pretend this conversation never happened and I will send you on your way with some money to start a new life.” He answered.

  With that, he got up and made his way to the door.

  “Enjoy the apples. If you need anything, just ask the staff waiting outside. Unfortunately, until you make your decision one way or another, I can’t permit you to leave this room. My apologies.”

  With that, he closed the door behind him, leaving her alone to her own devices.

  The next few days were like a dream to her. Though she was confined by the mysterious man, it was more freedom that she has ever known in her previous eight years of life.

  The room that he left for her was spacious. It took her at least 20 seconds to walk from one end to the other. There was a walk-in wardrobe stocked with beautiful dresses and shoes that were just her size, though she had no idea how he had arranged this ahead of time. She tried on multiple dresses, different styles and fashion, and paraded in front of her mirror, as if she was walking down the runway at a fashion show.

  When she was tired, she lied back down on the mattress and fell asleep, her head resting on the softest pillow she had ever known. Each morning, she would wake up to the smell of breakfast floating in from right outside her door. She opened it carefully, checking to see if anyone was there, and each time, a maid would smile at her before handing her a tray of delicious, freshly made, food before bowing and walking away.

  If this was a dream, she never wanted to wake up. She contemplated her decision. Above all else, she wanted freedom but, the life that the man presented to her, was slowly winning over her heart. After several days of this routine, she asked if the maid delivering her breakfast each morning if she could meet the man that was here previously and the maid nodded, acknowledging her request.

  “Have you come to a decision?” the man appeared at her door several hours later as she sat in her chair, looking out the window of her room.

  “Yes.” She nodded.

  “I’ll take you on your proposal. I’ll become your daughter.” She told him.

  “Splendid.”

  “So…what exactly do you want me to do?” she asked him suspiciously. “I’m assuming it’s more than just becoming your daughter.”

  “No…”, his answered surprised her. “I meant exactly as I did. I simply wanted you to become my daughter. Be a good younger sister to my son. That’s all.”

  “That’s all?” she asked again.

  “That’s all” the man confirmed.

  “Okay. I’ll become your daughter.” She told him. Despite her suspicion of his true motive, she convinced herself that whatever came next would still be better than the life she previously lived.

  “Wonderful,” he smiled. “Welcome to the Silverlake family.”

  “Silverlake?” she nearly gasped.

  “Yes. Silverlake. Anything wrong?”

  “No…no,” she shook her head. She could not believe her ears. Despite only ever been employed as a maid, the name “Silverlake” was one she knew well. Their reputation as a philanthropist resounded throughout the capital, from the mouth of her masters to the common people walking in the street.

  The information overloaded her brain, causing her to quickly blank out. When she regained her senses, the man was still there, standing next to her, his smile was the same as before.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she nodded her head quickly.

  “Okay. From now on, you will be known as Lily, Lily Silverlake. You will live here, in this manor with my son, Janus. All the servants will be at your beck and call, please treat them well. I don’t expect that you’ll be able to see Janus as your own brother right away, but I hope you’ll give him a chance.” The man explained. “Above all else,” the man continued, “I hope you’ll find your own reason to live.”

  The girl, now known as Lily Silverlake, nodded her small head. She stood up from the chair and extended a handshake to the man.

  Chuckling, the man sighed as he shook his head and spread out his arm. “Welcome home, Lily.”

  Holding back her tears, Lily ran into his arms and hugged him as he patted her head.

  “Welcome home my daughter.”