Victoria: What on earth is that noise?[cite: 1]
Victoria sat up straight on the velvet sofa, her sharp eyes flashing with annoyance as heavy footsteps echoed across the marble hallway[cite: 1]. She expected to see a careless servant or a delivery boy who had forgotten how to use the side entrance. But as a tall man in a dark trench coat walked into the bright hall carrying a leather briefcase, Victoria's posture instantly stiffened[cite: 1].
Victoria: David?[cite: 1] You... you weren't supposed to be home from your business trip until Friday![cite: 1]
David stopped dead in his tracks under the shadow of the American flag[cite: 1]. His face, usually calm and composed, shifted in an instant to pure, terrifying rage as his eyes landed on his daughter kneeling at Victoria's feet[cite: 1].
Lily: Dad![cite: 1]
Lily gasped, her tearful voice breaking as she looked up from the cold floor[cite: 1]. She tried to push herself up, but her small knees wobbled from exhaustion[cite: 1].
David: Lily?[cite: 1] What are you wearing?[cite: 1] Why are you on the floor?![cite: 1]
David's leather briefcase fell from his hand, hitting the marble floor with a heavy, echoing thud[cite: 1]. He ignored Victoria completely, sprinting across the hall to drop to his knees beside his daughter[cite: 1]. He wrapped his broad arms around Lily's small frame, pulling her tight against his chest[cite: 1].
David: Oh God, Lily...[cite: 1] Look at your forehead![cite: 1] Who did this to you?![cite: 1]
Lily: Dad, I...[cite: 1] I fell down...[cite: 1]
David: Don't lie to me, baby.[cite: 1] Why are you wearing a maid uniform?[cite: 1] Where are your clothes?[cite: 1]
Victoria quickly stood up from the sofa, smoothing down her red velvet gown as she forced a fake, sweet smile onto her face[cite: 1]. She took two steps toward them, holding her hands out in dramatic concern[cite: 1].
Victoria: David, darling![cite: 1] Thank goodness you're back early![cite: 1] Please don't be upset![cite: 1] The girl was just playing dress-up with the housekeepers![cite: 1]
David: Playing dress-up?![cite: 1] She is kneeling on the floor wiping dirt off your shoes, Victoria![cite: 1]
Victoria: It was a game![cite: 1] I was teaching her about responsibility and taking care of the house![cite: 1] She spilled her juice on my dress earlier, and she insisted on cleaning my shoes to apologize![cite: 1]
David stood up slowly, keeping one hand firmly on Lily's shoulder[cite: 1]. His eyes burned with a dark, dangerous anger as he stepped in front of his daughter, facing his wife directly[cite: 1].
David: Is that true, Lily?[cite: 1] Were you playing a game?[cite: 1]
Lily shrank back, looking at Victoria's tight, warning expression[cite: 1]. Her lower lip trembled as she looked down at her small, dirty hands[cite: 1].
Lily: Yes, Dad...[cite: 1] It was just a game...[cite: 1]
Victoria: See, David?[cite: 1] I told you![cite: 1] You know how imaginative children can be at her age![cite: 1] Now let the staff take her upstairs so she can change into a nice dress for dinner.[cite: 1]
David looked down at his daughter's scratched forehead, then back at Victoria's calm, smiling face[cite: 1]. Something in his chest twisted with deep suspicion[cite: 1]. He had built a multi-million-dollar logistics company by reading people's true intentions, and he knew when a person was terrified[cite: 1]. But before he could ask another question, the elderly head housekeeper, Sarah, stepped into the hallway carrying a stack of folded linens[cite: 1].
Sarah: Mr. Sterling?[cite: 1] You're back![cite: 1]
David: Sarah, come here right now.[cite: 1]
Victoria's smile instantly vanished as her eyes darted toward the housekeeper with a sharp, lethal glare[cite: 1].
Victoria: Sarah is busy, David.[cite: 1] She has to prepare the guest rooms for our dinner party tonight![cite: 1]
David: Sarah, stand right where you are.[cite: 1] Tell me why my daughter is dressed like a servant in my own house.[cite: 1]