Chapter 2: The Reversal of Power
Ethan didn't move. He didn't wrap his arms around his wife’s waist. His entire body went rigid, his jaw clenching so tightly that a vein throbbed violently at his temple. His grey eyes, usually calculating and calm, flared with an absolute, lethal fury.
The only difference in that room was what the two standing figures saw when they looked at the victim on the floor.
Victoria saw an old, worthless peasant who deserved to be punished for a spilled bucket.
Ethan saw the woman who had sacrificed her entire life to give him a future.
The fragile old woman on the floor wasn't just a random maid hired by an agency. Her name was Mary Vance. Twenty years ago, when Ethan was a penniless, starving teenager living in a broken-down trailer park in Ohio, Mary was the kind-hearted neighbor who worked three jobs just to buy him groceries. When Ethan’s own parents abandoned him, Mary was the one who paid for his college application fees with her meager savings. She was the mother of his soul. Ethan had spent the last five years searching the country for her after they lost contact, completely unaware that his own snobbish wife had hired her through a third-party cleaning service just three days ago to clean the mansion's lower levels.
Ethan slowly pushed Victoria’s arms off his shoulders. The coldness in his touch made her smile freeze.
THUD.
Ethan dropped his multi-thousand-dollar leather briefcase directly into the pool of dirty, soapy water on the floor, not caring about the important contracts inside. He walked right past his confused wife, his boots splashing through the mess, and dropped directly to his knees on the wet marble.
"Mary..." Ethan’s voice cracked, a sound Victoria had never heard from her stoic husband in their four years of marriage.
The elderly woman slowly lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes widening as she recognized the sharp, handsome features of the boy she had raised. "Ethan...? Oh, honey... look at you. Look how big you've gotten..."
"I'm so sorry, Mary. I'm so, so sorry," Ethan whispered, his hands trembling as he gently helped her sit up, completely ignoring the fact that the dirty water was ruining his bespoke suit. He looked at Lily, the young maid. "Lily, go to the kitchen. Bring a warm blanket and a glass of water to my private study. Now."
Lily nodded frantically, scrambling to her feet and running off.
Victoria stood by the entrance, her hands trembling with a sudden, uncontrollable confusion. "Ethan? What are you doing? Why are you touching her? She’s just a maid! She ruined the foyer!"
Ethan slowly stood up. When he turned to face Victoria, the sheer disgust radiating from his eyes made her take a step back. He reached into his tailored suit pocket and pulled out his phone.
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"Ethan? Who are you calling?" Victoria asked, a seed of terror finally planting itself in her chest.
"My attorney," Ethan replied, his voice dangerously quiet, vibrating with an authority that felt like an execution sentence. "And the police."
