CHAPTER 1: THE BIRTHDAY THAT TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE
The rooftop terrace of the Volkov mansion glittered beneath the afternoon sun.
Crystal chandeliers hung from elegant white canopies. Expensive champagne flowed endlessly. Influencers posed for photos beside the infinity pool while luxury cars continued arriving through the front gates.
Everything was perfect.
Or at least that was what twenty-two-year-old Victoria Volkov believed.
As the only daughter of billionaire businessman Alexander Volkov, Victoria had spent her entire life getting whatever she wanted. If she demanded something, people obeyed. If she insulted someone, nobody dared challenge her.
Her birthday parties were legendary.
And feared.
Because everyone knew that Victoria's favorite form of entertainment was humiliating others.
The guests laughed at her cruel jokes because disagreeing with her meant risking access to the wealth and influence her family possessed.
Standing beside the pool in a designer dress worth more than most people's yearly salary, Victoria scanned the crowd with boredom.
"This party is dying," she complained.
Her best friend Sophia smirked.
"Then wake it up."
Victoria's eyes immediately searched for a target.
That was when she noticed the new maid.
Eleonora.
She couldn't have been older than twenty-three.
Unlike the glamorous guests, she wore a simple uniform and carried a silver tray filled with champagne glasses. Her dark hair was tied neatly behind her head, and she carefully avoided eye contact with everyone.
The perfect victim.
"Hey, maid!" Victoria called loudly.
Conversations nearby stopped instantly.
Eleonora froze.
"Yes, ma'am?"
Victoria smiled.
Not a kind smile.
The kind that always meant trouble.
"Come swim with us."
The young woman immediately shook her head.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm working."
"That's not what I asked."
The guests began watching.
Some were already smiling.
They knew what was coming.
Eleonora swallowed nervously.
"I can't swim."
Laughter erupted around the pool.
Victoria exchanged a glance with Sophia.
"You can't swim?"
"No, ma'am."
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
"And why not?"
Eleonora's face turned pale.
"Because when I was a child... my mother drowned."
The laughter faded slightly.
But Victoria wasn't interested in sad stories.
"That's pathetic."
The words hit like a slap.
Several guests looked uncomfortable.
Still, nobody intervened.
Eleonora lowered her eyes.
"Please excuse me."
She attempted to continue walking.
Victoria grabbed the tray.
"Wait."
The maid stopped.
"I said come swim."
"Please, ma'am. I truly can't."
Sophia laughed.
"She's trembling."
"Look at her," Victoria said loudly. "She acts like she'll die if she touches water."
The crowd chuckled.
Eleonora's hands tightened around the tray.
Then Victoria suddenly shoved her.
Hard.
The tray flew upward.
Champagne glasses shattered.
And Eleonora disappeared into the deep end of the pool.
The crowd exploded with laughter.
Phones appeared.
People recorded.
Victoria doubled over laughing.
"See? She survived."
But then...
Ten seconds passed.
Twenty.
Thirty.
The maid never surfaced.
The laughter slowly stopped.
Victoria frowned.
"What's taking her so long?"
Nobody answered.
The pool remained still.
Then a guest whispered:
"Oh my God..."
Something was wrong.
May you like
Very wrong.
And within the next few seconds, the entire party would discover a truth that would change all of their lives forever.
