Chapter 1 - The Weight of a Wooden Cane
The silence in the grand entrance hall of Hawthorne Mansion was heavy enough to crush anyone. The woman in gold—Victoria—stood completely paralyzed as the security team closed in around her.
Alexander Hawthorne, the master of the estate, kept his hand resting gently on his mother’s shoulder. His cold eyes never left Victoria’s face.
"You thought wearing gold made you royalty here, Victoria," Alexander said, his voice echoing off the marble walls. "You looked at my mother and saw an old woman in a wheelchair. You looked at Sarah and saw a peasant. But in this house, loyalty is the only currency that matters."
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Victoria’s high heels clattered against the polished floor as the guards took her arms. "Alexander, please! I didn't know she was your mother! She was holding that dirty stick, and it didn't belong in a mansion like this!"
Alexander’s expression hardened. "That 'dirty stick' saved my life twenty years ago. And today, it proved who you really are."
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