CHAPTER 1: THE SHATTERED FACADE
The mansion fell silent.
The father stood at the entrance, unable to process what he was seeing. His daughter, Sophia, was kneeling on the cold marble floor in a maid's uniform. Her hands were red from scrubbing. Tears stained her cheeks.
"What is this?" he asked, his voice low but dangerous.
The stepmother, Victoria, forced a nervous smile.
"Darling, you're misunderstanding. Sophia wanted to learn responsibility."
Sophia slowly rose to her feet. For years, she had remained silent. For years, she had endured humiliation behind closed doors while her father traveled the world building his business empire.
But not anymore.
"Tell him the truth," Sophia said quietly.
Victoria's grip tightened around her wine glass.
The father looked from his daughter to his wife.
Then he noticed something he had never seen before: bruises on Sophia's wrist.
His face hardened.
"Answer me."
Victoria opened her mouth, but no words came out.
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For the first time in years, the mask of the perfect family began to crack.
And once a crack appears, the whole structure can collapse.
