He Returned Home Early and Found His Daughter Kneeling on the Cold Marble Floor
Previously: When Charles returned to his estate early, he expected a warm welcome. Instead, he found his beloved daughter Sarah weeping on the floor, forced into servitude by his new wife, Madeline.
The Mask Slips
Madeline’s forced smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she quickly recovered her composure. She gave a light, airy laugh, trying to dismiss the gravity of the situation.
"Oh, darling, don't be so dramatic," Madeline said, gesturing dismissively at Sarah. "The girl has been so lazy lately. I was simply teaching her some basic responsibility. A little hard work never hurt anyone. She insisted on doing it herself to show she could contribute."
Charles did not answer his wife. Instead, he bypassed her entirely and knelt on the wet marble floor, ignoring the dampness seeping into his expensive trousers. He gently took the scrubbing brush from Sarah's trembling hands and pulled her up into his arms. Sarah clung to him, weeping uncontrollably into his grey suit jacket.
"Tell me the truth, Sarah," Charles whispered, his heart breaking as he felt how thin his daughter had become in just the few weeks he had been traveling. "What has she done to you?"
Through her tears, the truth poured out of Sarah. She explained how, the moment Charles had boarded his flight, Madeline had locked away her clothes, confiscated her phone, and forced her into the maid's quarters in the damp basement. Madeline had threatened to ruin her father’s business if Sarah ever complained, claiming she controlled the family's finances now.
Hearing this, Madeline’s face turned pale, but she quickly became defensive, her voice rising in anger.
"She is lying, Charles! She is trying to turn you against me! This is my house too, and I have every right to run it as I see fit!" Madeline shrieked, her elegant facade completely shattering.
Charles slowly stood up, keeping a protective arm around Sarah. His eyes burned with a cold fury that Madeline had never seen before. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a leather-bound document he had retrieved from his lawyer earlier that morning.
"That is where you are dead wrong, Madeline," Charles said quietly. "This house does not belong to you. In fact, it doesn't even belong to me."
”In fact, it doesn't even belong to me."