Chapter 2 - THE MARBLE FLOOR UNMASKING
The heavy slap reverberated through the grand white foyer like a gunshot, freezing the ambient hum of the estate. Chloe fell sideways onto the cold marble floor, her royal blue silk dress soaking up the dirty water she had poured moments earlier. She clutched her bruised cheek in sheer disbelief, staring up at the man she thought was her devoted fiancé.
"Daniel, have you completely lost your mind?" Chloe shrieked, her voice cracking with hysterical rage as tears smeared her designer mascara. "I am your future wife, and you just struck me over a worthless housemaid!"
Daniel stood over her like an unforgiving monolith, his navy blue suit pristine and his knuckles white with fury. He did not offer her a hand or a single shred of sympathy. Instead, he stepped directly in front of the soaked woman in the charcoal grey uniform, shielding her with his entire body.
"She is not a housemaid, Chloe, and you just committed career suicide," Daniel growled, his voice carrying a lethal coldness that sent shivers through the hall. "You are looking at Elena Vance, the majority shareholder and global Chief Executive Officer of Vance Holdings."
Chloe’s breath hitched in her throat as her eyes darted to the woman standing calmly behind Daniel. Elena slowly wiped a drop of dirty water from her chin, her fogged glasses now tucked neatly into her apron pocket. Her icy gaze locked onto Chloe with a terrifying authority that instantly stripped the room of all warmth.
"You thought you were inspecting a servant, Chloe," Elena said, her voice smooth and devoid of any panic. "In reality, I was conducting a personal character audit on the woman applying to join my family's venture capital firm."
Chloe scrambled backward on her hands and knees, the cold marble chilling her through her damp gown. The framed American flag near the staircase caught the reflection of emergency red lights pulsing outside the estate's high wrought-iron gates.
"This is a lie, Daniel is playing a sick prank on me!" Chloe stammered, pulling out her gold iPhone with trembling fingers. "My father is Senator Richard Sterling, and he will have this entire house raided by federal marshals before sunset!"
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Daniel pulled a black leather folder from inside his jacket and tossed it onto the wet floor in front of Chloe. The heavy document opened, revealing certified banking records bearing the emblem of the United States Treasury.
"Your father’s political campaign was secretly funded by Elena’s private trust fund for the last three years," Daniel revealed with a cold sneer. "And as of thirty seconds ago, every single one of those accounts has been permanently frozen."
