Mrs. Fay Luz. The name danced in Kei's head, a beautiful, impossible song.

But as she turned the final corner, the song died.

A massive, mustard-yellow truck was parked crookedly on the curb in front of her house. The back doors were swung wide, like the jaws of a beast. Two men in heavy work boots were currently hauling her mother's old, floral-patterned armchair across the lawn, tossing it onto the metal floor of the truck with a sickening thud.

Kei stopped dead. The gold bracelet on her wrist suddenly felt ice-cold.

Pinned to the front door was a sheet of neon-orange paper. Even from the sidewalk, the bold, black letters screamed at her: NOTICE TO VACATE. PROPERTY SEIZED.

"No," Kei whispered, the word catching in a throat that had gone bone-dry.

"Kei!" A frantic voice called out.

Her mother was standing by the porch, looking smaller and more fragile than Kei had ever seen her. She was clutching a plastic bag filled with their most important documents, her eyes red-rimmed and hollow.

"The bank… they wouldn't listen," her mother sobbed, reaching out for Kei. "Your father… he used the deed as collateral for a loan we never knew about. It's gone, Kei. Everything is gone."

Kei didn't cry. A strange, predatory stillness settled over her. She looked at the men handling their lives like trash. In that moment, the "pinch" of reality didn't just hurt it crushed her.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Kei asked, her voice dangerously flat.

"Elena," her mother wiped her eyes. "She's been so kind, Kei. She called the moment she heard. She has the guest rooms ready. She said we can stay for as long as we need."

THE ESTATE ON THE HILL

An hour later, they were standing in the foyer of Elena's estate.

Elena's mansion was a fortress of white marble and hushed whispers. Elena herself was waiting at the door, her face full of genuine, soft-hearted grief. She immediately pulled Kei's mother into a hug, whispering that they were safe, that the debt didn't matter here.

But the moment they stepped inside, Kei couldn't sit still. The silence of the house felt like it was mocking her.

While her mother rested, Kei found a bucket and a cloth in the utility closet. She went to the grand drawing room and began to scrub the floor. She didn't mind the cold water; she needed the friction to stop her heart from screaming.

"Kei? What on earth are you doing?"

Elena stood in the doorway, looking horrified. She rushed forward, trying to take the brush from Kei's hand. "Darling, stop this at once. You are a guest. We have a full staff for this. Go upstairs, rest, go to school tomorrow"

"I'm not a guest," Kei said, her voice low and dangerously steady. She didn't look up; she just kept scrubbing. "I can't stay here for free, Elena. I won't eat your food and sleep in your sheets and do nothing."

"Kei, your mother and I are old friends"

"My mother is your friend," Kei interrupted, finally looking up. Her eyes were different harder, narrower with a predatory flicker that made Elena pause. "I am just a girl whose house was taken. I won't be a charity case."

Elena looked at the stubborn set of the girl's jaw. She realized that if she didn't give Kei a purpose, Kei would vanish into the night.

"Fine," Elena said softly, crossing her arms. "If you must be stubborn, let's be practical. I'll pay you. A real salary. You can handle the light cleaning in the east wing, and… I have another task. Sofia."

Kei paused, her brush hovering over the marble.

"My daughter attends St. Jude's Academy across town," Elena admitted with a weary sigh. "She's difficult, spoiled, and running with a crowd I don't trust. She won't listen to me. But she might listen to someone her own age. Take care of her. Be her shadow. If you keep her out of trouble, I'll double your pay."

Kei looked at her red, soapy hands. "I'll do it."

"Good. Now, go get some sleep. You have school in the morning."

"No," Kei said, standing up. "I'm dropping out. I can't be a student and the help at the same time. I'm done."