Adrian knelt down beside Clara and checked the burns on her reddened skin.
He grabbed a clean towel from the bathroom and placed it gently over her arm.
Adrian: Are you okay, Clara?
Clara: I am fine, sir, please check on your mother first.
Adrian stood up and looked directly into Victoria's angry blue eyes.
Adrian: Why did you say my mother is giving away the fortune?
Victoria: Because I found the legal documents in her bedside drawer!
Victoria marched over to the nightstand and pulled the top drawer open violently.
She snatched a folder of thick legal paper and slammed it onto the table.
Victoria: Look at this right now, Adrian!
Victoria: She is rewriting her entire will without asking us!
Adrian took the papers from Victoria's shaking hand and began to read them.
His eyes scanned the fine print written by a local family lawyer.
The document stated that half the family trust fund belonged to someone else.
It did not say the money went to Clara the maid at all.
It listed a hidden heir who had been kept secret for thirty years.
Adrian felt his heart pounding heavily against his ribs as he turned the page.
Adrian: Mother, what is the meaning of this document?
Eleanor: It is time you learned the real truth, my dear son.
Victoria: Do not listen to her, Adrian, she is losing her mind!
Adrian: Be quiet, Victoria, let my mother speak right now!
Eleanor wiped a tear from her withered cheek and adjusted her blankets.
Eleanor: You had a sister who was taken away long ago, Adrian.
Adrian stumbled back a step as the words echoed through the room.
Adrian: A sister? I thought I was an only child.
Eleanor: Your father hid her from us to save his corporate empire.
Victoria looked panicked as the conversation shifted away from her plans.
She stepped closer to Adrian and tried to grab the legal papers back.
Victoria: This is ridiculous, Adrian, throw those fake papers away!
Clara: She knew about the papers before today, Mr. Adrian.
Adrian: How do you know that, Clara?
Clara: I saw her searching your mother's room late last night.
Victoria turned on Clara with pure rage written across her face.
Victoria: You lying little snake, shut your mouth right now!
Adrian: Stop screaming at her, Victoria, you are acting guilty!
The room became silent as Adrian realized a dark web was spinning.
He looked at Clara, who had served his family with honesty for years.
Then he looked at Victoria, the woman he planned to marry soon.
He realized he did not truly know the woman standing beside him.