Chapter 1: The Child Behind the Serving Tray

After serving dinner to the family guests, five-year-old Thora nervously approached a vacant chair and tried to sit down.

Heloise violently yanked her back to her feet, sl*pped her hard across the face, and shoved the heavy serving tray into her little arms.

With a venomous sneer, she declared that servants were not permitted to sit with the family.

At that exact moment, Aldric returned unexpectedly from a lengthy business trip, his suitcase still in his hand.

He stopped cold when he saw Thora wearing a maid uniform, trembling as she held her reddened cheek.

Horrified, he dropped his luggage, took the serving tray from his daughter’s hands, and positioned her safely behind him.

His voice dropped into a furious growl as he ordered Heloise to stop touching his child.

Thora immediately clung to her father's shirt.

With tears streaming down her cheeks, she pointed toward a filthy blanket and torn pillow beside the kitchen door and revealed that Heloise had forced her to sleep on the freezing floor there.

Rather than show regret, Heloise approached Aldric with a mocking expression.

She pointed toward the entrance and thr*atened that if he chose to protect his daughter, he would lose his home and all his possessions.

Aldric strode toward her with terrifying purpose and delivered an explosive p*nch squarely into her face, sending her crashing onto the floor.

Aldric stood over Heloise as the room fell completely silent.

Looking directly into her terrified eyes, he declared with icy calm that he would lose nothing.

For the first time, Heloise's confident expression dissolved into panic.

Why had Heloise dared to str*ke a five-year-old girl, make her serve dinner guests, and force her to sleep on the kitchen floor as though she were worthless?

What looked like heartless mistreatment of a little girl was actually part of a calculated scheme to thr*aten her father with the loss of his home and child.

Someone had @bused Thora to demonstrate control over Aldric's family—without realizing the man she had thr*atened was about to turn her cruel ultimatum against her.

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What will Aldric do now that he knows the truth about Thora?

Comment “NEXT” for Part 2.