Kate stood up and everyone started to do so, except Anna and Suzy.
"I'm going to fight for your father's last will to be done, Mr. Lens. It's not going to end like this." She said defiantly and Adam looked at her interested.
"What is my father's last will?"
Kate took an envelope out of her briefcase and handed it to Suzy.
"You can still choose to do what's right, Mrs. Lens."
"I'll wait." Adam said sharply, opening the door in a suggestive invitation for everyone who remained to leave.
Everyone left without speaking to Anna, until she was alone. She breathed a sigh of relief and still fought the urge to scream.
Ryan came back into the office and sat down next to her.
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Ryan... I need my bag. It's not with my clothes..."
"I'll find out where they kept your things and ask them to deliver them to the green house."
"Thank you."
"But, Anna..."
"There is a 'but'..."
"The vials of morphine found in your bag have been sent back to the hospital."
"How elegant of you to invade my privacy. I didn't expect anything different from people like your family, and those associated with it."
"What did you intend to do with that?"
"You want to know about my evil plan? I thought I'd put it in the water jug, make everyone drink it, so they'd sleep and I could escape." She said wryly.
"I think you wanted to use it for just one person..."
"How perceptive you are, Ryan."
"Do you think death is the best solution?"
"I think it's a good way out."
"That's why you're stuck in that house. There's a whole system there to prevent suicides. You won't be able to die. Not if my cousin doesn't want me to."
"I don't want to hear about your family's eccentricities. I don't know what I did to offend you like that, to make you decide to hold me captive to your wills. I was just the woman bought by your uncle. I had no choices."
"It's not just that you were Allister's mistress. Before he bought you, he showed pictures of you to all of us, and I confess we were thrilled by your beauty and youth. He didn't buy you to be exclusively his, Anna. He bought you to be ours, and now everyone wants what they were promised."
"Then why did he stay with me?" She asked with tears threatening to roll down her face.
"He fell in love."
"Then your revenge should be directed at him, not me." Anna said, knowing it was a lie. Allister had never fallen in love with her.
"It's not revenge."
"You're right. It's not revenge. It's a crime. And people like you are used to getting away with your crimes."
Ryan remained silent and Anna looked at him. He was embarrassed. She felt no pity, but she wasn't happy to see him like that either.
"I need to talk to someone, get something off my chest... Can I visit you tonight?" He asked after a while.
Anna felt rage vibrate through her, but she looked away and controlled herself. His voice sounded calm.
"Of course. It'll be a pleasure."
She felt him take her hand and curbed her unbearable urge to pull away and avoid that contact.
"I have big plans for both of us." He said and kissed her hand, then stood up. "I'll see you later." He said and left.
Anna wasn't surprised when one of the men in a black suit entered the room to take her back to the green house.
...
Sitting back in the dark room, Anna could hear the men laughing and talking outside. What little she could make out was that Kate, the lawyer, had served herself as dessert to Adam after dinner, and the comments her boss had made about her performance in bed were not very flattering. Anna felt like throwing up while listening to them. But it was distracting. It was like she was watching a soap opera.
Ryan arrived just as she was feeling sleepy. She thought it must be very late, because all the events the men had said seemed to have happened that very night, but she didn't ask Ryan any questions.
"You look very pale..." He observed worriedly.
"I think that's what a person on a fruit diet should look like."
"Fruit diet? You're not eating properly?"
"Yes, I am. I don't produce anything, and I'm leading a sedentary life. I really shouldn't eat too much, do you agree?"
"Anna! You're not walking around the estate... Are you confined to this room?"
"You sound indignant. Careful."
He looked at her sadly.
"I'm not a monster, Anna." He said and left.
Anna was glad he had gone and, putting on her pajamas, she lay down to sleep.
She heard a lot of movement outside her room, but she didn't feel like trying to find out what was going on, so she closed her eyes to try to sleep.
A hand shook her gently and she opened her eyes. Ryan was back. She sat up resignedly. She thought the day's torture was over.
"Come with me. I had them prepare a decent meal for you."
Anna looked at him suspiciously.
"Adam won't like it..."
"I hope you like it." He said with a smile, and held out his hand to her to help her up.
Anna accepted his hand, still suspicious, and he pulled her into the kitchen of the house, where there was a table set for two, with a small feast.
Anna approached and saw roast turkey, baked potatoes with cheese, rice and many other foods that she loved, and putting her hands up to hide her face, she began to cry. She sobbed loudly. Only Allister knew what her favorite foods were. He must have written it down somewhere. He knew she would need a sign that he had always thought and cared about her, even though she felt helpless at that moment. Someone other than All wanted to do something for her. But the problem was that he demanded a price she knew she couldn't pay. Ryan wanted her to fall in love and accept being his wife, but she couldn't imagine doing that. She needed to focus on ending her forced diet and getting back to living, after her brilliance died along with All.