The Heir And The Servent Started From A Bet novel Chapter 136

Chapter 136

The door swung open with a sudden clang, loud enough to jolt everyone in the room.

Their hearts jumped in unison. For a moment, no one breathed. No one moved. Every eye in the room turned to the door, bracing for something worse, maybe more yelling, maybe another threat, maybe someone dragged out and shot.

But it wasn’t like that this time.

A man stepped into the room, carrying a stack of plastic food trays in his arms. Another followed him closely, arms full with water bottles. Neither of them held guns.

They weren’t shouting or barking orders. Their steps were calm. Neutral. Maybe even-friendly?

They didn’t smile, but the fact that no weapon was pointed at them already made them breathe a bit.

The men dropped the items on the floor in front of them and stepped back. The one with the food nodded.

“Our next port drop-off is in ten days,” he said, his voice flat but not cruel. “You can get off there.”

Ten days?

Lily’s voice cracked through the quiet. “Ten days? You’re saying we’re going to be on the sea for ten days?”

The man looked at her like he was tired of the question before she even asked it. “That’s what I said,” he replied, bluntly.

He turned slightly, eyes sweeping the room, gauging them.

“I’m going to leave the door open,” he added. “You can walk around the ship. Stretch your legs. But avoid the private and restricted areas.”

His tone dropped a level lower, his gaze turning sharp.

“If you cause me any trouble,” he said slowly, “I’ll throw you in this sea with no remorse. I hope it doesn’t get to that.”

No one said a word. They just nodded. And even that, they did slowly, as if not to test his patience.

“I’m trying to create a bunk area for you,” the man added with a shrug. “Should be ready later today. Enjoy your meal.”

Then he turned and walked away. This time, the door stayed open.

They sat in silence.

The soft hum of the ship’s engine buzzed under them, a sound that reminded them they were not on land anymore. That this wasn’t a nightmare they could wake up from.

No one moved.

Mia stared at the food on the floor. Packaged trays, still warm. Bottled water, clear and cold. For a second, her stomach turned, not from hunger but from nerves. Could it be poisoned?

She looked at her mother.

Mary Turner looked tired. Worn out in a way that didn’t have anything to do with the ship or the sea. It was a kind of defeat that came from years of struggling and still having nothing to show for it. Even now, her hands were shaking just slightly as

she reached for the water.

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Chapter 136

Ethan let out a breath. “Well,” he said, breaking the silence, “at least we’re not starved and chained up.”

He pushed himself off the floor slowly. He moved to the trays, started handing them out, one by one.

To their mom. To Lily. To Anna. Then finally to Mia.

Mia held the tray in her lap, staring at it.

It looked… normal. Rice, some kind of meat, a little container of sauce, and bread. Her stomach growled before she could stop it. She looked around. The others were already eating.

They were desperate, hungry.

She didn’t think even Charles Blackwell would go through the trouble of poisoning them now. He could’ve killed them back at the warehouse if he wanted to.

Still skeptical, Mia picked up the plastic fork and slowly took a bite. It was warm. It tasted okay. Better than okay, actually, but it is hard to enjoy anything when your mouth tastes bitter.

They ate quietly.

Ethan looked up and exhaled. “This is not how I thought my life would turn out.”

No one disagreed.

The food felt heavy in their stomachs, like it didn’t belong there. Like their bodies weren’t ready to accept any kind of comfort.

Mia leaned against the wall, the food on her lap half-eaten. She stared at the open door.

She wondered where that hallway led. To the deck? To the stars? Or maybe to nowhere.

Her mind of course drifted to Alex.

She misses him so much it hurts.

What is he doing right now?

What is happening to him, is he okay?

Her chest tightened at the thought of him.

Alex walked along the shore barefooted. Each step into the wet sand felt heavy and uncertain, like the ground was trying to pull him down, just as his heart was pulling everything inside him apart.

His thoughts were screaming louder than the ocean. He couldn’t escape them, not here, not anywhere.

His heart hurt.

It ached.

It wasn’t a sharp pain, it wasn’t sudden. It was slow and constant.

He had always heard people talk about heartbreak. Songs had been written about it.

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Movies tried to show it. But none of those things ever told him it would feel like this….. this kind of empty that echoed inside your soul. Like something had been ripped away from you and nothing, absolutely nothing, could fill that space again.

Mia had taught him what love was.

Real love.

It wasn’t the manipulative, prideful, over-the-top kind. It was quiet. Steady. Warm.

It was the feeling of someone just being there. Her laugh, her voice when she said his name, the way she looked at him like he mattered more than anything else in the world.

And then, just like that it was gone.

Vanished. With no reason, no explanation.

No note. No goodbye. Not even a trace.

And now his mind won’t stop tormenting him. Playing back every single moment like a broken record.

The signs were there. He had refused to see it then…

She had accepted to go on dates with him for money.

Mia talked about leaving Willowcrest. About wanting more. A better life, a real future. He thought he was part of that dream.

He really thought so.

But maybe she just used him to get a little closer to it.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

He was willing to give her everything. Anything. He would have given her the world if she asked. School? Fine. A new place to live? Of course. He would have found a way, built a way. Just to see her happy. Just to keep her close.

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