Chapter 3 Chapter Three.

♣︎Catalina pov..♣︎

Two days later..

the shrill ringing of my phone drags a groan from my throat. I sit up, blinking against the harsh light filtering through the tiny window.

It’s Sofia.

I swipe to answer. "Hello?"

"Hey, girl! Are you seriously still sleeping?" Sofia’s voice blast from the speaker.

"No, I’m up..." I lie, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Okay, good. Be ready in five minutes. Matthew is already on his way to pick you up. He’s going to drop you at the entrance of the Thorne Villa."

My eyes fly open. "Wait, five minutes? Sofia, I can’t even–"

"Love you! Don’t be late!"

Click.

She hung up.. I kick off the duvet and practically sprint to the small bathroom.

I stop in front of the mirror, and for a second, I don't recognize the reflection staring back. My wild, curly hair framing my face. My blue eyes look bright against my warm brown skin, and my lips... well, Sofia always called them "plum lips."

I already miss the smell of the corn and the dust of Spain. New York is too loud!

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Matthew?

I rush out of the bathroom, through the living room, and pull the door open.

Matthew is standing there with a casual smile on his face, but the second he sees me, the smile drops. His gaze trails down my body..*over my crop top and the short PJ shorts I wore to bed..*and then he looks away so fast I think he might have given himself whiplash.

I frown. Is there a smudge on my shirt? Why does he look like he’s just seen a ghost? Or worse?

"Um, hi, Matthew. You can come in and wait. I just need to finish up, okay?" I offer a polite smile.

"Don't worry.." he says. He won't even meet my eyes. He’s staring intensely at the hallway carpet. "I’ll... I’ll just wait in the car. Take your time."

He turns and practically runs toward the elevator.

I stand in the doorway, baffled. What the hell is wrong with this guy? Is he always this nervous around women? Or does he just have a problem with Latinas?

I shrug and shut the door. I don't have time to decode New York boys..

~♤~

30 minutes later..

Matthew pulls the car to a stop at the edge of a private, winding road. I step out, the humid air instantly clinging to my skin, I smooth down my knee-length flare gown.

"Thank you, Matt." I say, leaning back toward the window.

"I can only drop you here." His voice is uncharacteristically serious now, his hazel eyes searching mine with a flicker of genuine worry. "Be careful, Catalina. And do not forget to call or text, okay? If anything feels wrong, you leave."

I just smile and nod, waving him off. He lingers for a second before finally putting the car in gear and driving away, leaving me alone in the oppressive silence of the estate.

I turn toward the gate. It’s massive, a wall of black iron that hides everything behind it. I can’t even catch a glimpse of the building. My eyes drift to a silver plate bolted to the stone wall.

THE THORNE VILLA.

I reach out to knock on the heavy iron, but before my knuckles can make contact, a voice vibrates through the air.

"Who are you?"

The voice is so deep, it sends a shiver straight down my spine. I blink, looking up until I spot a small, high-tech camera lens tucked into the stone.

"H-hi." I wave awkwardly at the lens, then immediately drop my hand, feeling like a total idiot.

"Hello. Um. My name is Lina Mendez.." I say, my breath hitching in my chest. "I’m here for the maid service. I have an appointment."

Silence.

I stare up at the black glass of the camera, waiting for a reply. One second passes. Five. Ten. The only sound is the rustle of the leaves and the thud of my own heart.

Did he leave? Is the system broken?

"Umm... hello? I’m... I’m still here?" I say, leaning closer to the intercom.

Still nothing. The silence feels intentional now.

I frown, my latina temper flaring up before I can stop it.

"Did he just leave me out here? gilipollas..What a total blockhead!" I mutter under my breath, scowling at the camera.

"Blockhead?"

The voice returns through the speaker, sharper this time. There’s a tiny, dangerous edge to it that makes me want the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

My blood turns to ice. He heard that. He definitely heard that.

"Oh... um... not you, sir! I was just talking about... um... a random person. Someone else entirely!" I let out a nervous laugh.

Suddenly, the heavy iron gate grinds to life, sliding open with a low hum. I blink, offering one last awkward smile to the camera lens before I walk through.

As soon as I round the corner, my jaw practically hits the gravel.

This isn’t just a house. It’s a sanctuary of hard wealth.

Everything is peaceful. I walk toward the main building, my eyes darting everywhere.

There’s a massive double pool that seems to stretch on forever, the water so still it looks like glass. The scent of freshly cut grass fills the air. It’s beautiful, but it feels... empty.

I climb the short flight of marble stairs to the front door. Before I can even reach for the handle, it swings open.

An older woman stands there. Her hair is pulled back into a bun so tight it looks painful, and her eyes are like flint as she sweeps them over me. She looks at my dress, my hair, and my face with a stern and unreadable expression.

I feel the sweat start to prickle at my hairline. "Umm... hi–"

"Follow me." She cuts me off and turns on her heel and marches inside.

I scramble to follow, the interior is the height of minimalist luxury. Everything is grey, black, and slate. It’s a weird, dark combination that feels more like a fortress than a home.

Suddenly, the woman stops. I almost collide with her back.

And then, I hear it.

"Please!! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! It was a mistake!"

A woman’s voice echoes through the hallway. I freeze.

Two large men in black suits are dragging a woman across the floor. She’s wearing a maid’s uniform and her face is wet with tears as she begs for mercy.

The men don't even look at her. They treat her like a piece of trash being moved out.

What kind of mistake gets you dragged out like that?

The older woman beside me doesn't even flinch. She just watches the scene with a bored expression.

They don’t drag her toward the front door. They take her through a side exit, disappearing into a part of the villa I haven't seen yet. Her muffled screams fade.

"What happened to her? What did she do?" I whisper..

The older woman turns. She adjusts her glasses, the lenses glinting like ice.

"She is a spy.." she says, her voice flat and devoid of any pity. "And she will be punished severely."

My stomach doesn't just drop, it bottoms out. A spy. They found her out??

"Let’s go."

I want to run. My legs are ready to bolt back toward the gate, back to the farm, back to anything that isn't this cold, grey place.

But my feet move forward, following her up sweeping marble stairs and down silent hallways.

We reach a set of massive door. The air here is different, colder, heavier. I feel a chill creep up my spine that has nothing to do with the air conditioning.

The woman opens the door and steps in first. I hover in the hallway, my heart beating against my ribs.

"Master... the new maid is here."

"Bring her in." The voice is even deeper than it was over the intercom.

Every instinct I have is screaming at me to turn and flee. Run, Catalina. Run while he hasn't seen your face.

"Come in." The older woman’s stern eyes lock onto mine.

I gulp and step inside. The door clicks shut behind me. I look up, and the breath is punched right out of my lungs.

He’s sitting behind a desk, perched on a chair that looks less like office furniture and more like a throne.

But it’s his eyes that paralyze me.

They aren't brown. They are amber. Staring at me so intense I feel like he’s peeling back my skin to stare directly at my soul.

I'm dead. I'm absolutely dead.