Chapter 1 - The Blackmail Video
Daniel froze halfway down the grand staircase as his eyes locked onto my dripping hair.
He stared at the dirty puddle pooling around my cheap canvas shoes.
The silence in the foyer was so heavy that I could hear the grandfather clock ticking in the hallway.
"Mom?" Daniel whispered, his face turning pale.
Vanessa spun around with a look of pure panic flashing across her flawless face.
She immediately tried to block his view by stepping in front of my soaked uniform.
"Darling, this crazy woman was threatening me and trying to steal my jewelry," Vanessa lied effortlessly.
I calmly reached up and pulled the dark synthetic wig off my head.
The wet hair hit the marble floor with a sickening slap.
I removed the thick glasses and wiped the muddy gray water from my cheeks.
Daniel rushed down the remaining stairs and stopped just a few feet away from us.
"Mom, what on earth is going on here?" he demanded.
Vanessa’s face lost all its color as she realized the helpless housekeeper was actually the wealthy matriarch of the family.
She let out a nervous, high-pitched laugh and reached out to touch my shoulder.
"Oh my goodness, Mrs. Whitmore, I had no idea it was you!" she cried with fake horror.
"I thought you were an intruder, it was just a terrible misunderstanding."
I took a step back, refusing to let her manicured fingers touch my ruined clothes.
"There is absolutely no misunderstanding here, Vanessa," I said evenly.
I reached into the deep pocket of my uniform and pulled out the small digital recorder.
I pressed the play button, turning the volume up to the maximum level.
Vanessa's cruel, venomous voice instantly echoed through the massive foyer.
The recording played her calling me disgusting, demanding I scrub the floor on my knees, and laughing as the bucket splashed over me.
Daniel listened to the playback in complete, devastated silence.
His jaw tightened, and I could see the heartbreak forming in his eyes.
When the audio finally stopped, he slowly turned to face the woman he loved.
"Is this who you really are when I am not around?" he asked, his voice shaking with anger.
Vanessa stared at him for a long moment, realizing that her sweet, innocent facade was shattered beyond repair.
Suddenly, her fearful expression vanished entirely.
A cold, calculating smirk spread across her face as she reached into her expensive leather purse.
She pulled out her smartphone and tapped the screen a few times.
"You really shouldn't have pushed me into a corner, Margaret," Vanessa sneered.
She turned the screen toward Daniel, displaying a paused video file.
"If you try to cancel this wedding, Daniel, I will send this footage to the federal authorities."
May you like
Daniel looked at the screen, and all the blood immediately drained from his face.
"Where did you get that?" he asked, his voice dropping to a terrified whisper.
