I was convinced that Leila would fire me the next morning, I sat on my assigned bed in my assigned room waiting for her to kick me out. It was early, while waiting for her I was sorting out some notes connected to school. As time passed and she didn't barge into my temporary room I decided to find her on my own. I made my way up the stairs which led to the living room, during the short time spent in the mansion I noticed that it was her favourite spot. I wasn't too surprised when I found her there, tightly holding a cup filled with coffee. She had her back turned. Before she acknowledged me she took a sip and sighed.

"I figured you would want to fire me, so I packed my things" I slowly spoke.

"If I would want to fire you, you would have been fired yesterday" she carelessly said, her eyes focused on the beautiful garden which could be seen from the window.

"You weren't pleased with the dinner" I stated and she finally turned around.

"It was an overreaction from their side, they were shocked by the amount. Now you've learnt your lesson" she responded, I was stunned. I was sure that she would want to fire me.

"If you say so Mrs. Lyonheart" I said, I wasn't able to show my excitement.

"Also, take my advice regarding Haris. Do not provoke him, he has no control." she warned.

"Yes ma'am, I apologise" I quickly spoke. It was a lie, I was straight up lying, I wasn't sorry, I needed this job. I needed a future.

"When will you be back from school?" she casually asked while taking yet another sip.

"I should be here around 4 PM" I answered.

"Good, you've got some cleaning to do and also prepare a better dinner"

During the lecture I was scribbling down notes, listening carefully and marking important paragraphs. My mind was trying to concentrate, yet Haris intimidating persona was on my mind. I didn't want to think about him since he was a sad excuse of a man, but yet he was there. He was stuck in my mind, to my disappointment. He was definitely a strange person, his eyes were dripping in despise. He was a cruel person judging on the way he treated a stranger.

When I approached the gates I was met by the same guard as yesterday. His hand was tightly resting on his gun, he didn't bother hiding it, at all. I was not in the mood for a conversation with him since I knew it would end up in an awkward stage.

"Good afternoon, Emiliana" he greeted, he actually sounded sincere for a moment.

"Good afternoon ..." I was trying to recall if he ever properly introduced himself.

"Zoran. Just call me Zoran. Leila is out of town, if you need any help contact Anessa" he informed me.

"Thank you for the information Zoran" I gave him a small smile.

"No problem whatsoever, Emiliana." he chuckled and smiled. He was probably nicer than I thought.

Cleaning the mansion was a simple task since nothing was messy, everything was in order. Being alone with Anessa was uncomfortable, I didn't want to get myself involved in an argument with her, she would most likely make a scene out of it in front of the family. I kept myself away from the upper floor and focused on preparing dinner. I had googled on what Balkan people usually enjoyed eating, on every site I read the dish "Burek", small pies filled with meat and a special spice. I decided to give it a shot, it would probably be a disaster but in my mind they would probably appreciate it. A few hours later the small pies were neatly placed on two bigger plates. 

The same scene played out as last night, one by one they walked in. The youngest brother waved at me and I responded by shooting him a smile. I didn't want to acknowledge Haris, I wanted to ignore him. It was however difficult to ignore his existence since he had the power to silence a room filled with people within a second. He didn't have to utter a word, he only had to appear. The only difference from last night was Anessa, she was missing - not for long though. The family's attention turned to her loud wailing as she took a seat, tears were running down her cheeks. For a moment I felt my heart tighten for her sake, seeing another human cry was my weak spot. 

"What's the matter?" The golden chained man asked his wife, his voice was full of concern.

"She - she stole the bracelet you got me on our first anniversary" she cried out as she pointed at me. My jaw fell to the floor, how could she be so cruel? I wasn't even near her or her room, how could I possibly steal something from her? Even if I was near her bedroom I would never take something that didn't belong to me. 

"Emiliana!" a voice barked. A voice I knew a little too well, the voice belonging to a certain person whom I couldn't get out of my mind. I immediately turned my attention to him, my brown empty orbs meeting his hateful ones.

"Give back the goddamn bracelet or so help me God you will have a bullet through your head" he threatened, his voice was cold - as usual. I was supposed to be scared, I was supposed to be shaking but I knew I didn't do the crime I was accused for therefore I stayed calm.

"Mr. Lyonheart. There are in total twenty surveillance cameras placed on the first and second floor. I suggest you to follow my pattern today. If you watch the videos, you will notice how I wasn't even working near Anessa or her room." I answered truthfully, my gaze didn't leave his for the time I was speaking. He turned his attention away from me and focused on Anessa.

"Anessa?" he asked, his eyebrow was raised as he questioned her. She kept her mouth shut, she didn't utter a word.

"If I watch the videos from the surveillance and it turns out that Emiliana is innocent, I won't be happy and neither will your husband be. " Haris cooly stated, he grabbed the pie in one hand and walked away. I assumed he was going to watch the videos, he seemed to have a bit justice in him.

"Anessa, if you're lying about this situation you'll see the worst of me" the golden chain angrily spoke. Anessa had a confident facial expression, the golden chain shot me a look of disgust. He obviously trusted his wife.

"And you" he pointed a finger at me "you will pay with your life for the stolen bracelet" he harshly said to me. His brown eyes were burning with anger. He pulled his hand through his very short hair. My heart was beating fast out of fear, my life depended on what Haris decided to say. Waiting for him to announce my verdict made me feel sick. For all I knew he could lie in order to get rid of me. 

With heavy steps he approached the table, surrounded with the family. His eyes had turned black, he held something in his hand. When Anessa met his eyes, he threw the object on the table. I flinched when the object landed on the table. The object was a CD, probably containing videos captured by the surveillance. 

"Why the hell are you lying, huh? How dare you make a scene? I could have killed the girl if she didn't have the ability to speak for herself." Haris lectured, his voice was strict. He didn't yell, he was questioning her, his tone remained the same. The golden chain was on fire though, he didn't give Anessa time to answer Haris before he grabbed her hair, she winced in pain.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" he screamed, his face was turning into a crimson red colour. His dark beard covered the redness a tiny bit, but it could be seen. Anessa was deadbeat silent. Leila and Zlatko watched their son, none of them said anything about his behaviour. I myself stood back up against the wall.

"Answer me!" he bellowed as his palm collided to her cheek. He slapped her, hard. I felt the world stop spinning for a moment. My heart placed itself in my throat. Tears welled up in her eyes but she remained silent. As he was about to hit her one more time I interrupted.

"Stop for the love of God!" I yelled as I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the golden chain. I expected her to run the hell away but she stood still, watching me with disgust.

"Emiliana!" Haris barked, I flinched when I felt his cold hand grab me and pull me away from the dining room. I was terrified, he was capable of doing a lot. I felt the tears trickle down my cheeks. I gently tried to wipe them away, I didn't want to portrait the weakness. He pushed me to the white wall in my assigned room. My head hit the wall, I bit my lip - trying to soothe the pain. He held me against it, his eyes were dark, nothing beautiful could be spotted in them.

"You really want to get fucking killed, don't you?" he asked, his voice was loud and demanding. He was demanding an answer. I swallowed hard, feeling the taste of blood in my mouth. Tears were freely falling down my cheeks, I couldn't stop them.

"Don't fucking cry, Emiliana" he said and turned his gaze away.

"You and your family are psychopaths, he beat her in front of everyone. No one said a word. I should have called the cops" I stated, trying to gather some confidence. He pushed me harder against the wall.

"Do you ever shut up? Keep your goddamn mouth shut and listen to me. If you run to the cops you will only get yourself involved in problems, therefore I suggest you to forget about it." his tone got lower by each word. His eyes were piercing mine, my body was trembling. My heart ached for Anessa, she was bound to spend her life with an abusive husband. By the time he had finished his rant I was crying, almost sobbing. I couldn't hide my fear for him, he was so goddamn scary.

"I told you to fucking stop crying" he yelled, as he noticed that I couldn't stop he shook his head, dropped me and walked away. Heartless piece of shit.