Chapter 10

The sleek black car waited gracefully in the circular driveway. Lena stepped outside into the morning sunlight, her dark curls catching the breeze. She moved carefully, every step a humiliating reminder of the smooth plug nestled inside her. Her cheeks burned with residual shame from the morning ritual.

Thomas stood beside the open rear door, crisp in his dark uniform, offering her a warm, respectful smile.

“Good morning, Miss Lena. It’s a beautiful day for a trip into the city.”

She managed a small nod and slipped into the backseat. Thomas closed the door gently, before settling into the driver’s seat. From Thomas’s perspective, the young woman in the back seat was the luckiest person on the estate.

She has no idea how fortunate she is, he thought as he guided the car smoothly down the long private drive. In his fifty-two years, Thomas had never met a man like Dr. Elias Voss. The doctor had not only saved his life after the devastating car accident — piecing his shattered spine back together when other surgeons had given up — but had given him purpose, dignity, and a home for his family.

Dr. Voss was a saint. A quiet benefactor who asked for nothing in return except loyalty and excellence. Thomas had seen him fund entire hospitals, pay off crushing debts for struggling families, and offer second chances to people the world had written off. And now, this brilliant young woman — barely twenty — had been chosen personally by the doctor. Thomas glanced at her in the rearview mirror. She looked beautiful but tense, staring out the window with wide, troubled eyes.

Her generous curves were modestly covered today, yet there was a fragile nervousness about her that hadn’t been there on her arrival.

She’ll understand one day, Thomas thought with quiet conviction. The doctor only pushes the ones he truly believes in. She’s going to become something extraordinary under his guidance.

“Would you like some music, Miss Lena?” he asked kindly. “Or perhaps silence?” “Silence, please,” she whispered.

Thomas nodded respectfully and returned his attention to the road. He had strict instructions from Dr.Voss, let her go wherever she wanted, but ensure her safety. He would wait for her as long as necessary. Dr. Voss’s trust in him was sacred.

Lena sat rigidly in the passenger seat of Thomas’s sleek black Range Rover, the estate’s iron gates shrinking in the rearview mirror. The sun filtered through the tinted windows, casting long shadows across her lap. Thomas drove in silence, his broad shoulders relaxed, one hand loose on the wheel. He was polite, professional—another of Elias’s perfectly placed pieces on the board. Another indebed employee. That was apparenty Elias personalised strategy. First make everyone owe you.

He’s probably reporting every twitch back to him, Lena thought, her fingers twisting the hem of her modest dress. The plug inside her felt heavier than ever, a constant, intimate reminder of Elias’s claim. It hummed faintly, warm and alive, feeding data straight to whatever hidden network Voss controlled.

I need to do something. To think. I need to break at least one chain. Lena tried to concentrate. With her brilliant mind and IQ, she had been able to accomplish anything she had set her mind in to. There had to be a way.

She had to find a way to remove the plug, without Elias noticing. Then she would be free to try to go about the city searching for a solution. Her mind raced with half-remembered coding skills from her childhood days—She had always been fascinated by hacking and had spent a couple months learning it, but it was many years ago. If she could spoof the signal, make the plug think it was still seated and transmitting normally even when removed from her body ... she might buy herself time. Time to think. Time to breathe. First she needed to be able to go around the city without Elias noticing her live location. Then she would think about her next move. “You seem tense, Miss Lena, Is everything okay? Can I get you anything? “ Thomas asked quietly, glancing at her. “Dr. Voss mentioned you might need some space with your mother. Everything alright? Im instructed to drop you at your mother’s house for a couple hours and then take you to your friends.”

“Im Fine Thomas, Thanks. No I wont go to my friends today. I want to stay with my mother. “ she lied, forcing a small smile. “Could you pick me up at 6:30?”

Thomas nodded without pressing. “Of course ma’am. Dr.Voss has instructed me to take you home at 7:00 p.m sharp. So that timing works. “ His staff were super royal.

The modest two-story house on the edge of town looked much smaller than Lena remembered. Athough compared to where Lena lived at the time, even the king’s palace looked humble. Paint chipped at the corners, the front garden overgrown. Her mother stood on the porch, arms wrapped tightly around herself, eyes already glistening as the car pulled up. “Lena!” The hug was fierce and warm and smelled of lavender soap and home-cooked meals. For a moment, the weight on Lena’s chest eased. Inside, the house was quiet except for the ticking of the old wall clock. They sat at the kitchen table with tea. Her mother’s hands trembled slightly as she poured tea for her. “You look ... much different honey, “ her mother said carefully, studying her face. “Healthier. Your skin actually glows ... But there’s something in your eyes, sweetheart. Dr. Voss’s estate—Are you happy there?”

Lena stared into her cup, the questions that had been simmering since that faint memory resurfaced at the estate, now boiling over. Those gray eyes. The sharp jaw. The sense of familiarity that had haunted her. It wasn’t just from medical journals. It went back years—decades. She set the cup down hard, the porcelain clinking sharply. “Mom ... how long have you known Dr. Elias Voss? Hell, how long have I known him? “ Her voice cracked with rising anger. “Don’t lie to me. I remember now. Bits and pieces. He was there when I was little. The surgery. The ‘gift.’ You never said a word. All these years, you never once mentioned him ... Although he apparently has been in our lives since the accident, since I was a child, hasn’t he?” Her mother’s face paled, fingers tightening around her own mug. “Lena, sweetheart—”