The morning sun hit the white marble floor inside the Dallas mansion, making the glass windows shine. High white columns lined the wide hall where a vertical American flag hung still against the painted wall. Margarethe knelt on the cold hardwood edge with a wooden bucket, her old hands shaking as she pulled a heavy mop across the boards. Her eyes were red, and tears dripped down her wrinkled face as she tried to scrub faster. Standing right above her was Victoria, dressed in a sweeping red silk gown, holding a glass of iced juice as she tapped her designer shoe against the stone.
Victoria: "You are moving too slow, old woman. The wood looks dull."
Margarethe: "Mrs. Vance, please... my hands are hurting so bad today."
Victoria: "I don't care about your hands. You work in my house, and you will scrub until it shines."
Margarethe: "I have wiped this floor three times already. Please give me five minutes to take my heart pill."
Victoria: "No breaks. If I see one drop of water left on this floor, I will cut your paycheck again."
Margarethe let out a soft, sobbing cry, leaning her head down over the bucket as the salty tears hit the water. She had raised the family for over twenty years, long before Victoria ever married into the estate. But for the last six months, Victoria had treated her like trash, forcing her to do heavy labor just to break her spirit.
Suddenly, the giant front double doors swung wide open with a loud, heavy thud that echoed off the high ceiling. A second younger maid ran out from the back hall, reaching down to help Margarethe up from the floor. Christopher Vance walked into the room wearing a black suit and black tie, his shoes snapping against the marble as he marched straight toward them. His face was dark, and his eyes were locked on his crying nanny kneeling in the water. Victoria did not even flinch, just taking a slow sip of her drink as her husband stopped right under the flag, his breathing heavy with rage that was about to blow the whole family secret open.