The warm afternoon sun poured through the high arched windows of Zachary’s studio, painting the room in a rich, golden hue. Jazz music played softly from a Gramophone in the corner, blending with the clinking of glasses and distant city traffic outside.

"Penny, lower your shoulders just an inch. Maya, tilt your head toward your sister and give me that effortless, dazzling smile," Zachary instructed, his brush moving swiftly across the oversized canvas.

I adjusted my posture, holding back a sigh. Sitting perfectly still for three hours in a silk dress was no easy task, but looking at Zachary—his rolled-up sleeves, dark focused eyes, and the passionate way he held his paintbrush—made every second worth it. I had been in love with him in silence for months.

"Oh, come on, Zachary!" Maya giggled, shifting slightly on her stool. "My back is killing me. If we don't finish this poster soon, we're going to miss our evening tea at the lounge!"

"Patience, my little star," Zachary chuckled without taking his eyes off the canvas. "This calendar campaign is going to be everywhere next month. When people look at these posters, they won't just see beautiful girls—they will see the spirit of the modern woman."

Maya and I were known throughout the city as the "New York Girls"—glamour models whose faces adorned commercial calendars, cosmetics ads, and fashion magazines. To the outside world, we had it all: custom dresses, high-society parties, and endless admiration. Maya loved the attention, basking in it like sunlight. I enjoyed it too, but deep down, I always kept my feet on the ground.

An hour later, Zachary stepped back and wiped his hands on a rag. "Alright, ladies. We’re done for today."

Maya immediately jumped up, stretching her arms with a dramatic sigh of relief. "Finally! Penny, let's go change."

As Maya went behind the folding screen to change into her street clothes, I walked over to the canvas. The painting was breathtaking. It captured Maya’s vibrant, carefree joy and my calmer, reserved gaze perfectly.

"You've outdone yourself, Zachary," I said softly, looking up at him.

Zachary smiled, stepping closer to me. "It's easy when the subjects are as striking as you, Penny. You have a quiet strength in your eyes that the camera can never truly capture."

My heart did a quick flutter. Before I could say anything back, Maya burst out from behind the screen, adjusting her hat. "Penny, hurry up! Father said he’d meet us at the restaurant by five, and you know how he gets when we're late."

I smiled politely at Zachary, gathered my things, and went to change.

By 5:30 PM, Maya and I were sitting at our usual corner table at the grand city restaurant, sipping tea and eating delicate pastries. But as the minutes ticked by, our father, Arthur, was nowhere to be seen.

"He's late again," Maya pouted, tapping her manicured nails on the tablecloth. "He promised he'd bring us those imported silk scarves today."

"He's probably tied up with business," I replied, though a knot of anxiety was beginning to form in my stomach.

Lately, Father had been distracted. His laughter sounded forced, his eyes were perpetually tired, and strange men had started showing up at our house late at night. When I asked Mother about it, she simply brushed it off, telling me not to worry about "men's affairs."

Just as we were finishing our tea, Father finally walked into the restaurant. But he didn't walk in with his usual confident, booming posture. His suit was wrinkled, his hair disheveled, and his face was pale, as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Father?" I stood up, instantly concerned. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Arthur looked at me, then at Maya, his eyes filled with a mixture of terror and overwhelming guilt. He sat down heavily in a chair, his hands trembling as he poured himself a glass of water.

"Girls..." Arthur’s voice was barely a whisper. "We need to go home. Right now."

"Father, what's wrong? You're scaring me," Maya said, her playful mood vanishing in an instant.

Arthur didn't answer. He just grabbed our coats and ushered us out into the waiting car. The ride home was suffocatingly silent.

When we walked through the grand front doors of our mansion, we found Mother sitting in the living room, crying silently into a handkerchief. Standing near the fireplace were three men in dark suits—stern, unfamiliar, and looking at our family home as if they already owned it.

"Arthur, tell me this isn't true," Mother sobbed, looking up at our father.

I stepped in front of Maya instinctively. "What is going on here? Who are these people?"

One of the men stepped forward, holding a stack of signed papers. "Your father has been a very foolish man, young lady. He owes a fortune to the gambling houses—a debt he can no longer pay."

I turned to Father, stunned. "Gambling? Father, no... we have money! Our merchant business—"

"The business is gone, Penny," Arthur choked out, tears finally streaming down his face. "The house, the land, the shops... I lost it all. Everything is gone."

The room went completely cold. Maya let out a small gasp, clutching my arm tight.

"So, how do you plan to settle this, Arthur?" the man in the suit asked coldly. "Because if you don't have the cash by tomorrow morning, you know what happens to debt collectors' targets."

Arthur looked at Mother, then turned to face Maya and me. He looked smaller, broken, and completely defeated.

"I... I have arranged a way out," Arthur said, his voice quivering. "A wealthy American patriarch named Lawrence has agreed to clear my entire debt."

I took a deep breath, relief momentarily washing over me. "Thank God... what does he want in return? A stake in the company?"

Arthur looked down at his shoes, unable to meet my eyes.

"He wants brides for his two sons," Arthur whispered. "You and Maya are going to marry them... and leave for America.