Chapter 2: The Truth Behind the Marble Floor
Chapter 2: The Truth Behind the Marble Floor
The mansion fell into complete silence.
Even the ticking grandfather clock seemed too loud.
Richard slowly knelt in front of his seven-year-old daughter, Lily, gently taking her tiny hands into his own.
His breath caught.
Her palms were blistered, cracked, and swollen. Red burns stretched across her fingers where harsh chemicals had eaten through her delicate skin.
"Daddy..." Lily whispered, afraid to meet his eyes. "I tried to make it shiny."
Richard's chest tightened so painfully he could barely breathe.
"Who did this to you?"
Lily hesitated.
She glanced toward Vanessa.
The elegant woman immediately forced a smile.
"Richard, she's exaggerating. She spilled juice all over the foyer while the staff was gone. I simply asked her to clean up after herself."
Richard didn't answer.
Instead, he noticed something beside the staircase.
A bucket filled with bleach.
A child-sized pair of rubber gloves lying untouched.
Far too large for Lily's tiny hands.
He looked back at his daughter.
"Sweetheart..."
His voice cracked.
"Did she make you scrub this floor?"
Tears rolled down Lily's cheeks.
She nodded once.
"She said... if I stopped... she wouldn't let me eat dinner."
Richard felt something inside him snap.
Vanessa stepped forward quickly.
"She's lying! She's always trying to make me look bad."
Before she could say another word, the head housekeeper appeared in the hallway.
She had been crying.
"Sir..."
She lowered her head.
"I can't stay silent anymore."
Richard turned toward her.
The woman trembled.
"Miss Vanessa fired every maid who defended Lily."
She swallowed hard.
"She made your daughter wash bathrooms, carry laundry baskets, and sleep in the storage room whenever you traveled."
Richard's face lost every trace of color.
"What did you just say?"
"I tried to stop her."
The housekeeper wiped away tears.
"But Miss Vanessa threatened to ruin anyone who spoke."
Richard slowly looked back at Lily.
His little girl stood barefoot on the cold marble floor.
The same daughter he had promised to protect after her mother's death.
And he had failed.
He wrapped both arms around her, holding her tighter than ever before.
"I'm so sorry, baby."
Lily buried her face against his shoulder.
"I knew you'd come home someday."
Those words shattered what remained of his heart.
Without looking at Vanessa, Richard spoke in a calm voice that frightened everyone in the room.
"Call my attorney."
Then he added another sentence.
May you like
"And call the police."
Vanessa's smile disappeared.
