Brandon: The party is over, everyone[cite: 1]. My staff will arrange valet cars to take you all home safely[cite: 1].
Guest 1: Brandon, we are so sorry for what happened... we had no idea Vanessa spoke to the staff like that[cite: 1].
Brandon: Thank you for coming, Arthur[cite: 1]. Please enjoy the rest of your evening elsewhere[cite: 1].
The guests quickly made their exits, whispering frantically among themselves as they filed out into the grand driveway[cite: 1]. Within minutes, the massive foyer was completely empty, leaving only Brandon, the little girl, and a middle-aged woman in a grey maid's uniform who came rushing down the hallway with tears in her eyes[cite: 1].
Martha: Lily[cite: 1]! Oh, my goodness, Lily, are you okay[cite: 1]?
Lily: Mommy[cite: 1]! The nice man stopped the mean lady[cite: 1]!
Martha: Mr. Sterling, I am so deeply sorry[cite: 1]! I was cleaning the master suite upstairs and I didn't realize Lily had slipped down to the foyer[cite: 1]! Please don't fire me[cite: 1]! I have nowhere else to go[cite: 1]!
Brandon: Stand up, Martha[cite: 1]. You don't ever need to beg for your job in my presence[cite: 1].
Martha: I heard her shouting at my daughter from the top of the stairs... I thought for sure we were going to be thrown out onto the street tonight...[cite: 1]
Brandon: Nobody is throwing you out[cite: 1]. Vanessa was the one who was thrown out[cite: 1].
Martha: You... you canceled the wedding over this[cite: 1]?
Brandon: I canceled the wedding because I finally saw her true nature[cite: 1]. How long has she been treating you and the rest of the staff like this, Martha[cite: 1]?
Martha looked down at her polished shoes, hesitating as she smoothed her apron[cite: 1].
Martha: Ever since you assigned her to oversee the estate renovations six months ago, sir[cite: 1]. She cut our wage bonuses, she threatened to fire anyone who took a break, and she told us we weren't allowed to let our children near the main house[cite: 1].
Brandon: Why didn't anyone come to me directly[cite: 1]?
Martha: She told us you approved all of it[cite: 1]. She said you didn't want 'low-class servants' ruining the aesthetic of your new luxury lifestyle[cite: 1].
Brandon squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a heavy, regretful sigh as anger flared in his chest[cite: 1]. He had been so focused on managing his corporate mergers that he had completely ignored what was happening under his own roof[cite: 1].
Brandon: I am so sorry, Martha[cite: 1]. I should have paid closer attention to my own home[cite: 1].
Martha: It's not your fault, sir[cite: 1]. She was very clever about hiding it whenever you were in the building[cite: 1].
Brandon: That ends today[cite: 1]. Effective immediately, your salary is doubled, and you are taking over as the head estate manager[cite: 1].
Martha: Head manager[cite: 1]? Mr. Sterling, I don't know if I have the qualifications for such a high position—
Brandon: You have been taking care of this house for ten years, Martha[cite: 1]. You know every inch of it, and more importantly, you treat people with kindness[cite: 1]. That makes you infinitely more qualified than Vanessa ever was[cite: 1].
Lily: Does that mean Mommy gets to live in a big bedroom upstairs[cite: 1]?
Brandon: It means your mommy gets the private staff suite on the second floor, and you get a room right next to the garden[cite: 1].
Martha: Mr. Sterling... I don't know how to thank you[cite: 1]. You have no idea what this means for us[cite: 1].
Brandon: You don't need to thank me[cite: 1]. Just promise me one thing[cite: 1].
Martha: Anything, sir[cite: 1].
Brandon: Take Lily down to the kitchen and have the chef prepare whatever she wants to eat[cite: 1]. No child goes hungry in my house[cite: 1].
Lily’s eyes lit up with excitement as she grabbed her mother’s hand, jumping up and down on the marble floor[cite: 1]. But as Martha led her daughter toward the rear hallway, a sudden knock on the front double doors echoed through the hall[cite: 1].