“CAN I CLEAN YOUR HOUSE FOR FOOD?” — BUT WHEN THE BILLIONAIRE SAW HER FACE, HE FROZE IN SHOCK!

Daniel barely had time to process the knock on his door before he opened it. Standing there was a woman he never thought he’d see again—Sasha. Her face was thinner now, her skin dulled and streaked with grime. The once lustrous dreadlocks that had framed her face hung loosely, tangled and unkempt. Her faded orange shirt was torn at the sleeves, revealing the harshness of life she had endured. But despite all the visible change, her eyes remained the same—the piercing, haunting eyes that had haunted Daniel for seven long years.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat when he noticed the boy standing beside her—a black child no older than six or seven, his clothes dusty and torn. He clung tightly to Sasha’s arm but looked up at Daniel with wide, guarded eyes that told stories of too many cold nights and too few warm meals. “Can I clean your house for food?” Sasha asked softly, her voice fragile yet resolute.

The air seemed to leave Daniel’s lungs. “Sasha,” he finally said, his voice cracking under the weight of memories and shock. She flinched at the sound of his voice but nodded faintly. “It’s me,” he added, gripping the door frame tightly, trying to steady himself.

“Seven years,” Daniel murmured, voice low but taut with barely contained emotion. “Seven years you vanished without a word, and now you’re here, asking to clean my house.” Sasha’s gaze dropped, her voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t come for you. I came for him.” Her hand rested protectively on the boy’s shoulder. “He’s hungry.”

Daniel’s eyes shifted to the boy once more. “What’s his name?” he asked cautiously.

“Malik,” she replied.

“Is he…?” Daniel stopped himself, jaw tightening. “Is he mine?” Sasha shook her head quickly. “No, he’s my nephew.”

Daniel’s mind spun. Her nephew? Where was her family? And why was she standing on his doorstep looking like she hadn’t slept in days? “You shouldn’t be here,” Daniel said sharply. Sasha’s lips trembled, but she didn’t look away.

“Please,” she begged, “just some bread. I’ll clean your floors, wash your windows, anything you want. I just—I can’t let him go another night without food.”

Malik’s small voice cut through the tension. “Mom, I’m okay,” he whispered. But Daniel noticed how his skinny arms wrapped tighter around Sasha’s waist, as if clinging to her was the only thing holding him together.

Something cracked inside Daniel’s chest. This wasn’t the Sasha he remembered—the vibrant, confident woman he’d loved was gone, replaced by someone gaunt and desperate. And yet, even now, she stood tall before her nephew, shielding him with her body as though protecting him from the whole world.

“Why?” Daniel asked suddenly, voice softer now.

Sasha blinked. “Why what?”

“Why did you leave me?” Daniel pressed, stepping closer. “You didn’t just walk away. You disappeared. No goodbye, no calls, nothing. I searched for you for years. Why?”

Tears welled in her tired eyes. “I didn’t leave because I wanted to,” she said softly.

“Then why?” His voice cracked, anger and pain warring inside him.

Sasha took a shaky breath. “Because if I hadn’t, they would have killed you.”

Daniel stared, stunned. “What are you talking about?”

Her tears fell freely now. “My brother got in deep with the wrong people. He wanted me to help him extort you. When I refused, they said they’d come for you next. The only way to protect you was to disappear.”

Daniel’s heart pounded as her words sank in. “And the boy?” he asked in a whisper.

Sasha’s arms tightened around Malik. “My brother’s gone now. He left Malik behind, and I couldn’t let him end up like me.”

Daniel stood frozen, staring at the woman who had once been his entire world, and the boy clinging to her like his life depended on it. For the first time in seven years, he didn’t know whether to slam the door or pull them both inside.

Sasha hesitated as Daniel stepped aside, his face unreadable. For a moment, she thought he might shut the door after all, but then he spoke again—his voice low, tight with something she couldn’t quite name. Anger? Pain? Or something else entirely?

“Come in.”

She adjusted Malik on her hip and stepped into the mansion. The cool marble floors felt foreign beneath her bare, calloused feet. Malik clutched her tighter as they crossed the threshold, his wide eyes darting nervously around the lavish foyer.

“Stay close to me,” she whispered.

Daniel watched silently, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

He led them to the kitchen. “Sit,” he ordered. Sasha hesitated but gently lowered Malik onto a chair before sinking into one herself.

The boy looked exhausted, his little chest rising and falling with every breath. Daniel opened the fridge and pulled out bread, cheese, and fruit. Without a word, he placed a plate in front of Malik.

“Eat,” he said softly.

Malik’s hands trembled as he picked up a piece of bread, eyes flicking to Sasha for permission. “It’s okay,” she whispered. Malik took a cautious bite, soon devouring the food as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

Daniel’s gaze shifted back to Sasha. “Now talk,” he said coldly. “I let you in. You owe me the truth.”

Sasha swallowed hard, eyes fixed on Malik, drawing strength from his presence. “After I left you, they kept me under watch,” she began. “My brother was in debt to dangerous people. He thought he could use me to get to you. They wanted to extort you, Daniel.”

Daniel’s jaw tightened. “I had no idea.”

“You weren’t supposed to,” Sasha said bitterly. “When I refused to help them, they threatened your life. Said if I didn’t vanish, you’d be next. I thought disappearing was the only way to keep you safe.”

For a long moment, Daniel said nothing.

“You could have come to me,” he said finally, voice soft. “We could have fought them together.”

Sasha’s eyes glistened with tears. “They weren’t the kind of people you fight, Daniel. They would have destroyed everything.”

His gaze softened as he looked at her—not the woman he remembered, but the woman before him now.

“And the boy?” Daniel asked.

Sasha brushed a hand over Malik’s messy hair. “He’s my nephew. My brother didn’t make it. Malik had no one left. When I found him, he was hiding in an abandoned house, terrified and starving. I couldn’t leave him.”

Malik gripped her hand tightly, afraid she might let go.

Daniel let out a shaky breath, running a hand over his face. “All this time,” he murmured, “you were protecting me, and I hated you for it.”

Tears slipped down Sasha’s cheeks. “I hated myself too,” she whispered.

A long silence settled over the room, broken only by Malik’s quiet eating.

Finally, Daniel spoke. “You don’t have to run anymore.”

Sasha’s head snapped up. “What do you mean?”

“I mean stay here. Both of you. You’re not sleeping on the streets again.”

Sasha’s lips trembled. “Daniel, I can’t ask that of you.”

“You didn’t ask. I’m offering.”

Malik looked up at Daniel with wide, cautious eyes. “Are you going to send us away?” he asked softly.

Daniel crouched to his level. “No,” he said gently. “No one’s sending you anywhere.”

Malik’s eyes welled with tears as he threw his arms around Sasha’s neck.

Daniel stood, voice firmer. “You gave up everything to protect me, Sasha. It’s my turn to protect you.”

That night, as Sasha tucked Malik into a warm bed for the first time in weeks, Daniel stood silently in the doorway.

“You saved me once,” he said quietly. “Let me save you this time.”

Sasha’s eyes filled with tears. “You already have.”

The next morning, Daniel made a call. “Find out who’s left from the people who hurt her,” he said coldly. “I want them gone.”

As he hung up, he glanced at the small family sleeping peacefully in his guest room and swore silently, “This time, no one is taking her away from me.”

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