THE CRIMSON VELVET VEIL OF DECEIT HIDES THE TEARS OF A BROKEN DYNASTY

"Useless, clumsy rat!" Evelyn screamed, her face contorted in an ugly mask of rage as she cocked the silver tray back for another blow against the weeping girl on the floor.

Before Julian could even draw a breath, Clara moved with terrifying speed. She surged past Julian into the hallway, her grey skirts a blur. In one fluid motion, Clara grabbed Evelyn’s wrist, twisting it upward with enough leverage to force the heavy silver tray to clatter uselessly against the Persian rug.

Evelyn gasped, stumbling backward against the floral wallpaper, her eyes wide with shock and humiliation.

"You dare—" Evelyn choked out, clutching her throbbing wrist. "You touch me again, you ungrateful wretch, and I'll have you thrown into the river before midnight!"

Clara didn't blink. She released Evelyn’s wrist with a disgusted flick, then knelt down beside the sobbing young maid, gently placing a reassuring hand on Maya’s shoulder.

"Get up, Maya," Clara instructed, her voice softening into a gentle, protective warmth that stood in stark contrast to her earlier ice. "Go down to the kitchen and ask Mrs. Gable for the burn ointment. Your shift is done for the night."

Maya nodded frantically, scrambling to her feet and fleeing down the corridor without looking back.

Evelyn straightened her silk blouse, her chest heaving as she glared daggers at Clara. "You are a maid in this house! You take orders from me, not the other way around. Julian, are you blind? Fire her this second, or I swear I will pack my bags and take half the estate with me!"

Julian stepped out into the hallway, his face pale and set in stone. He looked at his wife, truly looked at her—not as the glamorous hostess of the Vance family, but as a tyrant ruling over a house built on ashes and fear.

"Pack your bags, Evelyn," Julian said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion. "The house is no longer yours to command."

Evelyn froze, her mouth opening in silent outrage. She looked from Julian to Clara, whose lips curled into a triumphant, dangerous smile.

"You can't do this," Evelyn hissed, stepping forward. "The board answers to my family! The entire shipping empire is backed by my father’s capital!"

"Your father’s capital was built on the assets stolen from mine," Clara interjected smoothly, pulling the gold signet ring from her pocket and letting it catch the hallway light. "And today, the audit begins."