Chapter 1
The echoes of Carter’s chilling command hung in the marble foyer like heavy smoke.
Martha’s hand recoiled from Lily’s blonde hair as if she had touched red-hot iron.
"Mr. Sterling, I was only enforcing Mrs. Sterling's house rules," Martha stammered, her cold composure crumbling under Carter’s deadly glare.
Carter didn't answer her; he gently lifted six-year-old Lily into his broad arms, holding her small body tightly against his tailored blue suit.
On the landing above, Evelyn clutched the wrought-iron railing, her face drained of all color as her husband stepped up the marble stairs.
"Carter, darling, please let me explain," Evelyn gasped, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "The girl was being disobedient, and Martha was merely—"
"Pack your bags, Martha," Carter interrupted, his voice dropping into a terrifyingly quiet register without breaking eye contact with his wife.
"If you are still on my property in five minutes, you will leave in the back of a police cruiser."
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Martha backed away in silence, her dark charcoal uniform rustling as she turned and bolted toward the servants' quarters.
Evelyn reached out a trembling hand to touch Carter’s arm, but he stepped past her without a word, carrying his weeping daughter into the master wing.
