Richard Vance stood frozen beside the long table, his hand resting on his champagne glass as his face turned pale white. He stared at the maid holding his son, his mind racing to make sense of the sudden chaos unfolding in his main hallway. He had spent three years believing that his former wife had abandoned their family without leaving a single letter behind. Every report he received from his private investigator had said the same tragic thing, claiming she had left the country with another man.
Victoria: Get him away from her right now! Butler, call security and throw this woman out!
Richard: Victoria, wait a second. What is going on here?
Victoria: She is just a crazy staff member trying to make a scene in front of our high-society guests!
Victoria marched forward, her heels clicking loudly against the oak floor as she reached down to grab Leo's arm with a tight grip. Leo pulled his arm back quickly, hiding behind Claire's back while clutching the fabric of her black dress tightly in his small fists. Claire stood up slowly, putting her body between the wealthy stepmother and her young son, her eyes burning with a fierce protective light that no one in the mansion had ever seen before.
Claire: Do not touch him, Victoria. You have done enough damage to this family already.
Victoria: How dare you address me by my first name! You are nothing but a hired maid!
The guests began whispering loudly to each other, crowding around the edge of the hallway to watch the drama unfold. Many of them recognised Richard as the head of a multi-million dollar real estate trust fund, but nobody recognised the quiet maid standing tall against his wealthy wife. Richard took three slow steps forward, his boots crunching lightly on small pieces of broken glass near his feet. His eyes stayed fixed on Claire's face, staring at the sharp jawline and blue eyes that felt painfully familiar to his heart.
Richard: Claire? Is that... is that really you under that uniform?
Claire: Yes, Richard. It is me. I never left you, and I never left our son.
Victoria: Richard, do not listen to a single word coming out of her mouth! She is lying to get your money!
Richard looked down at his son, who was looking back up at him with tearful eyes and a trembling lip. The boy pulled on Richard's sleeve, pointing his tiny hand toward Claire with complete innocence in his eyes.
Leo: Daddy, why is everyone calling Mommy the maid? She lives in the small basement room and cleans my closet every day!
Richard: What did you call her... Claire?
The father stood entirely still, the room spinning around him as the weight of his son's simple question settled in his chest. For three whole years, his boy had been visiting the basement quarters without Richard ever knowing that his missing wife was living under his very roof. Richard felt a cold knot form in his stomach as he turned his head slowly to glare at Victoria, whose calm expression was starting to crack under pressure.
Richard: You told me she moved to Europe, Victoria. You showed me signed custody papers and a legal separation agreement signed by her own hand.
Claire: Those papers were completely forged, Richard. She threatened to destroy my life if I did not stay quiet and stay away from Leo.