Chapter 1 - THE WOMAN IN THE UNIFORM
The dirty water hit Clara Vance across the chest before anyone in the marble foyer could react.
For one long second, nobody moved.
Brown water dripped from the front of Clara’s pale gray housekeeping uniform.
A broken flowerpot lay near her feet.
Mud streaked across the expensive white marble floor.
Victoria Whitmore stood several feet away holding the empty bucket.
Her perfectly manicured lips curled into a satisfied smile.
“You don’t belong in this neighborhood, peasant!”
Clara slowly looked down at her soaked uniform.
Then she raised her eyes.
There was no fear in them.
No embarrassment.
Only a calmness Victoria was too arrogant to understand.
“You really shouldn’t have done that, Victoria.”
Victoria laughed.
“Are you threatening me?”
“No.”
Clara wiped a drop of muddy water from her cheek.
“I’m warning you.”
Victoria stepped closer.
Her crimson designer dress probably cost more than most people in the neighborhood earned in a month.
Diamonds glittered around her neck.
Everything about her screamed wealth.
Or at least the appearance of wealth.
“Shut your mouth and clean up this mess right now!”
Clara did not move.
That seemed to infuriate Victoria even more.
“Did you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“Then get on your knees and clean it.”
Clara looked toward the sweeping staircase.
“Daniel, come down please.”
Victoria froze.
Then she laughed again.
“You think you can call my fiancé like he’s some kind of bellboy?”
Footsteps sounded upstairs.
Daniel Vance appeared at the top of the staircase.
Victoria immediately transformed.
Her anger disappeared.
Her shoulders trembled.
Her eyes filled with carefully manufactured tears.
“Darling, protect me!”
She pointed dramatically toward Clara.
“She threw dirty water at me!”
Daniel descended several steps.
“What is going on down here?”
Victoria rushed toward him.
“She attacked me.”
“She threatened me.”
“She destroyed your mother’s flowers.”
“And now she refuses to clean anything.”
Clara said nothing.
Daniel reached the bottom step.
Victoria grabbed his arm.
“Fire her right now and call the police!”
Daniel stared at her.
His expression changed so completely that Victoria’s smile disappeared.
“Victoria.”
“Yes, darling?”
“Shut your mouth.”
She blinked.
“What?”
“I said shut your mouth.”
Her hand slipped from his arm.
“Why are you telling me to shut up?”
Daniel pointed toward Clara.
“She is not a servant, you idiot.”
Victoria stared at him.
“What do you mean?”
She looked at Clara’s uniform.
“Look at her.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“That is Clara Vance.”
Victoria’s face emptied.
“My elder sister.”
Daniel took another step toward her.
“And the head of our family trust.”
The bucket slipped from Victoria’s fingers.
It struck the marble with a hollow clang.
For the first time that afternoon, Clara saw genuine fear enter Victoria’s eyes.
“Daniel…”
Victoria swallowed.
“Please listen to me.”
“It was a mistake.”
Daniel’s voice thundered through the foyer.
“Don’t you ever lie to me!”
Victoria recoiled.
Daniel pulled out his phone.
“Call 911 right now.”
Victoria went pale.
But Clara raised one hand.
“Not yet.”
Daniel turned.
“Clara?”
Clara looked toward the small black camera mounted above the entrance.
Then she looked at Victoria.
“Before anyone calls the police…”
“I want to know why Victoria was trying to get into the locked east wing.”
May you like
Victoria stopped breathing.
And Daniel slowly turned toward the woman he had planned to marry in eleven days.
