The next day, Martin was five minutes late because of heavy traffic. Michaëla opened the door herself. Her gaze was icy, as if the delay were not just a fact, but a personal insult to her authority. “You’re late,” she said coolly and matter-of-factly. “Go inside. Report to my assistant immediately. Today, she is your […]

At one point, Herman was the only live-in slave Michaëla had. The other service slaves came and went, strictly according to schedule, but Herman had always been there—a constant in her carefully ordered life. That was precisely why she noticed immediately when he changed. It started subtly. A slight hesitation when rising from a kneeling

 At her request, Christiaan informed Michaela about the extortion by the police—specifically, several officers from the same station. Parichat had complained to the station supervisor, but to no avail.  “Don’t you have any politicians, military personnel, or police officers among your clients?” she asked him. “I’ll contact someone I know this evening to see if

The plane from Amsterdam to Bangkok had begun its descent; an older lady was walking back to business class from the lavatory, having just changed her clothes inside. A middle-aged man—slender, balding, and slightly taller than the lady—had been waiting for her outside the door; he escorted her back to her seat and made sure

Chantal stood with Jan, Denise’s uncle, in front of a luxury apartment complex in Eindhoven; this is where Alejandro was supposedly in hiding after his escape from Maastricht. His adoptive parents lived here; these parents had been very happy with his adoption. After years of waiting, they had finally become eligible, though it had remained

Michaela and her entourage had been staying with Raymond for three weeks now; effectively, she had taken complete control of the household. The housekeeper had been sent off on three months’ paid leave, with Tineke and Herman taking over her duties.  Negotiations had reduced the total tax debt to 1.2 million Euros—a figure that appeared

Herman rang Raymond’s doorbell at 11:00 a.m. on Monday; Raymond was already waiting by the front door. Raymond knew his Mistress disliked waiting. He opened the door, and Michaela entered the apartment gracefully. In her high stilettos, she was considerably taller than Raymond and even slightly taller than Herman, who followed meekly behind her, carrying

After her time in Maastricht, Michaela had returned to Haarlem; the premises now had to be quickly cleared of all the equipment used in the practice, but first, her colleagues were invited to come and take a look and make offers. Herman and the gardener photographed all the items in their assembled state—both in the

The completion of Denise’s practice was celebrated on a Saturday with a festive opening; organizing this was the last thing Mark did for Denise, as Michaela was recalling him to Haarlem after today. The elderly German Mistress was present, and her former slaves—now Denise’s slaves—had turned out in large numbers (and paid an entry fee);

In the Schiphol Airport parking garage, a blonde woman named Michaela steps out of her car, assisted by her chauffeur, Herman. She is dressed in a long, black, leather-look pleated skirt and short black leather boots with high heels; beneath the skirt, she wears black nylon stockings held up by a garter belt. Her top