Chap 1
Christmas music still echoed softly through the marble halls of the Ashford Mansion.
Golden lights shimmered across towering pine trees decorated with crystal ornaments. Expensive presents wrapped in velvet ribbons were stacked beneath them. Fresh white lilies and red roses filled every corner with the scent of luxury.
To anyone looking from the outside, it was the perfect home.
Inside...
It was a nightmare.
The kitchen floor was soaked with dirty water.
An elderly woman knelt silently against the cold marble, her trembling fingers gripping a rag already stained crimson with blood.
Each movement sent another wave of pain through her swollen hands, but she never complained.
Instead, she whispered to herself.
"Just a little more... Daniel will be home next week... I don't want him to worry..."
Tears slipped quietly onto the floor as she continued scrubbing.
Her name was Margaret.
She was seventy-two years old.
And this was the woman who had sacrificed everything to raise her only son.
Suddenly...
The mansion's front door swung open.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the entrance hall.
Daniel Ashford had come home four days earlier than expected.
Still dressed in a charcoal-gray suit from his flight, he carried a suitcase in one hand and several beautifully wrapped Christmas gifts in the other.
A long scar crossed the left side of his face—a permanent reminder of years spent risking his life in dangerous conflict zones while building one of the country's largest private security companies.
Every contract...
Every wound...
Every sleepless night...
He endured them all for one reason.
To give his mother the peaceful life she deserved.
Smiling to himself, Daniel imagined the surprise on her face when he handed her the blue cashmere scarf she'd admired months ago.
He had no idea that his entire world was about to collapse.
As he entered the hallway, something felt wrong.
There was no laughter.
No smell of dinner.
Only silence.
Then...
He heard crying.
Not loud.
Not desperate.
The kind of crying that came from someone who had already accepted their suffering.
His heart skipped a beat.
He dropped the gifts and rushed toward the kitchen.
The sight before him stole every ounce of air from his lungs.
His mother...
His fragile, elderly mother...
Was on her knees.
Her dress was soaked.
Her gray hair clung to her tear-stained face.
Blood dripped slowly from cracked fingers that had clearly been scrubbing the floor for hours.
Standing only a few feet away was his wife, Victoria.
Dressed in an elegant sapphire silk pajama set with a flawless strand of pearls around her neck, she lazily sipped champagne while scrolling through her phone.
Several wealthy guests gathered behind her, watching the scene unfold without saying a word.
Some looked uncomfortable.
Others simply looked away.
No one dared interfere.
Margaret finally noticed her son.
Her eyes widened in panic.
"Daniel?"
She quickly tried to hide her bleeding hands behind her back.
"W-why are you home already?"
Instead of answering, Daniel slowly walked toward her.
His knees hit the marble floor.
He gently took her hands into his own.
The sight made his stomach twist.
Fresh cuts.
Bruises.
Burn marks.
Even tiny shards of broken glass were still embedded in her skin.
His voice shook.
"...Mom..."
She forced a weak smile.
"I'm alright."
"You've always worried too much."
"It's just a little cleaning."
Daniel looked around the spotless kitchen.
There wasn't even a mess anymore.
She had already cleaned everything.
So why...
Why was she still kneeling?
His breathing grew heavier.
Then he heard a slow clap behind him.
Victoria smiled coldly.
"Oh..."
"You're early."
She took another sip of champagne before speaking with complete indifference.
"Don't be dramatic, Daniel."
"Your mother lives here for free."
"It's only fair she contributes a little."
Margaret immediately shook her head.
"No..."
"No, sweetheart..."
"It wasn't like that..."
Victoria interrupted her with a laugh.
"Oh please."
"She's exaggerating."
"I only asked her to clean after she dropped a serving tray."
Daniel stared at the blood on his mother's hands.
Then back at the perfectly polished floor.
He knew.
She was lying.
The guests remained frozen.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Victoria crossed her arms confidently.
"And honestly..."
"You should remember whose name is on this house."
The sentence echoed through the kitchen.
Daniel slowly stood.
His expression became frighteningly calm.
Too calm.
The kind of silence that comes just before a storm.
Without saying a word, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
He tapped the screen once.
Twice.
Then turned it toward everyone in the room.
The property deed appeared.
One name.
One owner.
Daniel Ashford.
His voice exploded through the mansion like thunder.
"LIAR!"
"I PAID FOR EVERY SINGLE BRICK OF THIS HOUSE WITH MY OWN BLOOD!"
The champagne glass slipped from Victoria's hand.
It shattered across the marble floor.
May you like
For the first time...
A flicker of fear crossed her face.
