A Father Returns Home Early to Find His Daughter Kneeling in a Maid Uniform — Part 2

Previously: When William returned home early, he expected a quiet evening with his wife. Instead, he found his beloved daughter scrubbing the floors in a maid's uniform, crying.

The Mask Slips

The silence in the foyer was suffocating. Margaret’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she quickly recovered her composure. She chuckled softly, waving a manicured hand dismissively as if the situation were nothing more than a misunderstanding.

"Oh, William, don't be so dramatic," Margaret purred, stepping closer to him. "Sophie was just helping out. She volunteered to clean up a spill. You know how clumsy she can be."

William ignored his wife entirely. He walked past her, his heavy footsteps echoing on the limestone, and knelt down beside his daughter. He gently took the scrub brush from her trembling hands and pulled her up to her feet. Sophie collapsed into her father's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. As he held her, he noticed the dark bruises on her wrists, hidden beneath the cuffs of the maid uniform.

"Tell me the truth, Sophie," William whispered, his heart breaking. "What is going on here?"

Sophie looked at Margaret, who was glaring at her with a silent, threatening intensity. But with her father's arms around her, Sophie finally found her courage.

"She told me you were going bankrupt, Dad," Sophie sobbed. "She said that if I didn't work as the housemaid to pay off my tuition debt, she would convince you to write me out of your will and kick me out. She intercepted all your letters and told me you didn't want to speak to me anymore."

William felt a cold chill run down his spine. He looked up at Margaret, who had gone pale. The elaborate web of lies she had spun to isolate Sophie and seize control of the family fortune was unraveling right before her eyes.

"Is this true, Margaret?" William asked, his voice shaking with a mixture of grief and rage.

Margaret crossed her arms, her fake warmth entirely gone, replaced by a sneer.

"And what if it is?" Margaret spat. "She is a spoiled brat who needs to learn her place. Besides, you need my family's money to keep your business afloat. You wouldn't dare cross me."