The sound of the slap cracked through the clean luxury estate like a gun firing under the bright natural daylight. Lily stumbled backward, her thin canvas sneakers slipping slightly on the polished marble floor. Her face burned a bright, angry red where the wealthy woman's heavy rings had made contact, leaving a stinging welt that throbbed immediately. The mansion's walls were perfectly lit by the midday sun, making every detail of the cruelty visible in sharp focus.
Victoria: Clean this first—then you'll eat.
Lily: Please, ma'am... I've been working since five this morning.
Victoria: I don't care if you've been working since midnight. Look at this floor.
Lily held her burning cheek, her chest heaving as she tried to swallow the heavy lump of tears rising in her throat. She looked down at the bucket of soapy water and the faint streak of dust near the baseboard that had triggered the woman's rage. Her stomach let out a hollow, painful growl that she couldn't stop. She was completely exhausted, her vision blurring slightly from the lack of food, having had nothing but tap water for the last fourteen hours.
Victoria: Don't look at me with those pathetic, tearful eyes. Pick up the cloth.
Lily: My hands are shaking too much, Mrs. Vance. I just need ten minutes.
Victoria: You get ten minutes when the entire east wing is spotless. Not a single second before.
Suddenly, the heavy mahogany front doors swung open with a loud thud, cutting through the tense atmosphere of the entryway. A tall, broad-shouldered man in rugged work boots and a faded canvas jacket stepped into the brightly lit foyer. Thomas stopped dead in his tracks, his toolbox slipping slightly in his grip as his eyes took in the scene. His gaze moved from the powerful billionaire executive standing proudly in her designer clothes to the weeping, shivering young girl kneeling on the floor, holding her bruised face.
Thomas: Lily?
Lily looked up, her tear-filled eyes widening in absolute shock as she saw her father standing in the doorway, his face turning pale before settling into a mask of pure, controlled fury that she had never seen before.