Richard adjusted his silk tie as his driver pulled into the long stone driveway.
He had spent three exhausting weeks in New York closing a massive corporate merger.
The tired CEO only wanted to kiss his wife and call his young daughter.
His daughter Lily was supposed to be studying at an elite boarding school in Vermont.
Richard paid over fifty thousand dollars every semester to ensure she had the best care.
He stepped out of the luxury car and carried his heavy leather briefcase to the front door.
The afternoon sun beat down on the massive white pillars of his Texas mansion.
He unlocked the double mahogany doors and stepped into the cool, marble entrance hall.
The quiet house smelled strongly of bleach and harsh chemical soaps.
Richard paused near the archway when he heard the faint sound of wet cloth dragging across tile.
His second wife Sarah was relaxing on the velvet sofa with a glass of red wine.
She looked pristine in her designer dress, completely unfazed by the harsh cleaning smells.
On the floor near the grand staircase, a slender young girl was on her hands and knees.
Her back was turned to the door, her cheap apron soaked with dirty bucket water.
Richard felt a sudden wave of irritation at his wife's cold demeanor toward staff.
He always insisted that servants be treated with simple human dignity in his home.
Sarah took a slow sip of wine without noticing her husband standing in the foyer shadows.
The girl on the floor wrung out a filthy rag with raw, reddened fingers.
Her small hands were shaking from physical exhaustion and icy water.
Richard set his leather briefcase down on the side table with a dull thud.
The sound echoed loudly across the high ceilings of the marble room.
Sarah gasped and quickly set her wine glass down on the glass coffee table.
The young girl on the floor froze and slowly lifted her head from her work.
Richard stared at the girl's face and felt his breath leave his lungs instantly.
Tears were cutting clear trails through the dust and dried dirt on her cheeks.
A deep purple bruise was clearly swollen across her delicate forehead.
Richard took one step forward as his mind struggled to process the impossible sight.
The girl let out a small, broken sob that shook her fragile shoulders.
She reached one bruised hand toward him like a person drowning in deep water.
The entire world seemed to stop moving inside the quiet luxury mansion.