Ryan approached and hugged Anna. His gesture seemed to calm her down. Anna gradually controlled herself and when she was better, she pulled away from Ryan.
"I'm sorry..."
"I won't let it happen again, Anna. You'll be well fed. Now, sit down and help yourself. I'll accompany you."
Anna sat down and ate furiously. It had been a long time since she had seen real food, and it seemed that nothing was enough to satisfy her. When she finally finished off the last grain of rice from the pot, she leaned back in her chair and looked intently at Ryan.
"Thank you."
He smiled.
"Anna, there's something I'm very curious about... Adam isn't being good to you, as far as I can tell, and yet you're going to pass on everything my uncle left you to him? Did he threaten you in any way to make you take this decision?"
"No." Anna said, knowing that she couldn't trust anyone.
"Then... Why?"
"Because it's his. All shouldn't have given me something that rightfully belongs to his son."
"He gave it to you because he had already left a lot to his children. What he left you isn't even a fraction of what he left his children and... You won't understand it now, but there's a very large fortune, which is passed down from generation to generation to Gamas families, to be given to the Alpha, who is always born from that family, a complicated history of hierarchy between us, and... Adam is that Alpha, after more than a hundred years, and he doesn't need your charity..."
Anna glanced at Ryan out of the corner of her eye.
"Still, he doesn't belong to me."
"You can give up passing your things on to Adam. Think it through. This property could mean your financial freedom. You can make all your dreams come true. You can be independent, and study, and travel the world..."
"I have no such illusions."
"You have no plans?"
"Ryan, what would it mean for me to have dreams and plans? My fate will be chosen by your family, and I know they won't reward me for All choosing to live his last months with me..."
"That was something that shook the family. He wanted you all to himself..."
"I don't think he meant to, but because of that, his family won't be satisfied with just seeing me go."
"I can give you a different life. Give you a home, children... But that's not a conversation for now. I'm leaving, and I'll be back tomorrow night."
Anna nodded, and he kissed her cheek before leaving. She was free inside the house. There was no one else in there and yet she went back to her room and threw herself on the bed, falling into a deep sleep.
Ryan returned the next evening as promised, and Anna walked around the house, they served a decent breakfast and lunch, and it seemed she was free to walk around the walled estate, but that day, she didn't feel like going outside the house.
Ryan had dinner with her and after a week of this routine, Adam showed up as soon as Ryan had said goodbye.
He sat at the table with a glass of water and sat there in silence for over an hour. Then he got up and left. The water was half gone in the glass.
Anna wasn't curious as to why Adam showed up every night after Ryan left and sat silently at the table, but even so, after another week, he came to her room, where she was reading the book 'The Pharaoh's Five', until he left and Adam snorted to get her attention. She put the book aside and stared at him indifferently.
"Wasn't the water cold enough?" She asked impatiently.
"Ryan's annoyed that you're indifferent to him when he comes to visit."
"What a shame!" She said falsely.
"I need you to kiss him tomorrow when he says goodbye to you."
"Kiss?"
"Put your mouth on his mouth. You don't have to stick your tongue in."
"Not stick...?"
"I think that'll be enough. He looks like an idiot in love."
"Enough?"
"I hope you remember that he needs to ask you to marry him, and he's not going to do that until you show some affection."
"I'm not going to kiss him."
"He can't touch you. It's one of the rules of our bet, so you'll have to kiss him, yes."
"Got it."
She picked up the book again and concentrated on reading, but he stayed there a little longer.
"There's one more thing... Kate is going to come here tomorrow after lunch to have you sign over your assets."
Anna kept looking at the book, but she couldn't see the letters. For a second, she believed that Kate could be her ally, but she was wrong. Just as Allister had been wrong. And she didn't hate Kate for offering herself to Adam, she hated her for betraying the trust of a dying man, and if she had the chance, one day, she would take her revenge.
She heard Adam's footsteps moving away, put the book down on the bed and went to the window, now fully open, and watched from the shadows as Adam walked to the gate and disappeared.
Kate arrived after lunch, and Anna had forgotten she was coming. But she didn't mind being polite.
The lawyer had to go to the garden, where Anna was growing flowers of various kinds, with cuttings that the men in black suits brought and gave her, without saying anything. She knew it was a gift. She knew they couldn't talk to her, but she began to like it, and to want to get to know the men who guarded the house.
Kate stopped next to her, while Anna was on her knees replanting a rose bush.
"Anna... Can we talk inside? I have important matters to discuss with you."
"Why not here? It's a nice place. Fresh, full of nature all around..."
"Yes. And full of ears too."
Anna stood up and looked at her with a debauched smile.
"What? You want to confide in me about your adventures in Adam's bed? There's no need to be shy, Kate. All the men here know your dirty secret."