Daniel did not hurry to comfort Victoria. He walked down the last three steps slowly, his expensive leather shoes tapping against the wet stone floor. His face was pale, and his jaw was clenched tight. He looked at Victoria's completely dry red satin dress, then he looked at Clara, who was dripping water onto the floor near the framed American flag.
Clara calmly reached up with both hands. She unclipped her wet glasses, wiped them on a dry part of her sleeve, and put them back on her face. She looked straight at Daniel without saying a single word.
Victoria: Why are you just standing there, Daniel? Kick this awful woman off our estate right now!
Daniel: Victoria... shut your mouth.
Victoria: What? Why are you telling me to shut up? She's just a servant!
Daniel: She is not a servant, you idiot.
Victoria stopped her fake crying immediately. Her eyes opened wide in confusion as she looked between Daniel and the wet woman standing calmly in the center of the foyer.
Victoria: What do you mean? Look at her uniform! She was mopping the floor!
Daniel: That uniform belongs to our company's service department. But the woman wearing it is Clara Vance. My elder sister, and the sole trustee of our entire family estate.
The silence in the grand foyer became deafening. Victoria felt as if all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. She stared at Clara, whose calm expression had not changed at all.
Victoria: Your... your sister? But you said your sister was traveling in Europe!
Clara: I came back yesterday, Victoria. I wanted to see what kind of woman my brother was marrying before we finalized the trust fund documents.
Daniel: Clara built this company after our father died. Everything in this house, including the money in my bank account, belongs to the family trust she manages.
Victoria: Daniel, no... I didn't know! She was wearing a maid uniform! She tricked me!
Clara: I didn't trick you, Victoria. I wanted to clean the house myself today to prepare for our dinner. I put on the uniform so I wouldn't ruin my regular clothes.