CHAPTER 1 — The Woman Nobody Respected
Rain poured across the marble entrance of the Grand Astoria Hotel as luxury cars lined up beneath the golden lights.
Guests in designer suits hurried inside, barely noticing the elegant elderly woman slowly approaching with nothing but a wooden cane and a small black handbag.
Her dress was simple.
Her shoes were old.
Her smile was calm.
A young concierge whispered to another employee.
"Should we send her to the public entrance? She doesn't look like she belongs here."
Several guests chuckled.
One businessman rolled his eyes.
"This place is for millionaires."
The old woman heard every word.
Yet she simply thanked the doorman with a gentle smile and continued walking.
Just before she reached the revolving door, the hotel manager rushed outside, looking furious.
The staff expected him to remove her.
Instead...
He suddenly lowered his head.
Then he bowed.
"Welcome home, Madam."
Within seconds, every employee standing outside followed him.
Chefs.
Receptionists.
Security guards.
Housekeepers.
Even the general manager bent respectfully before the elderly woman.
The laughing guests froze.
No one understood what was happening.
One arrogant investor stepped forward.
"There must be some mistake..."
The manager slowly looked at him.
"There is no mistake."
Then he pointed toward the hotel's golden emblem.
"The woman standing before you built this hotel with her own hands."
Silence swallowed the entrance.
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But that shocking revelation was only the beginning...
Because hidden inside the old woman's handbag was a document that would destroy one of the richest families in the city before sunrise.
