CHAPTER 2: THE WOMAN FROM THE WATER
"Get her out!"
The scream shattered the silence.
Several men jumped into the pool.
Panic spread instantly.
Victoria stood frozen as they searched beneath the water.
Then one of the guests resurfaced.
He was carrying Eleonora.
The maid's body looked lifeless.
Her skin was pale.
Her eyes were closed.
Someone called emergency services.
Another guest began CPR.
The luxurious birthday party transformed into a disaster scene.
Victoria's confidence disappeared.
For the first time in years, fear entered her eyes.
"Wake up," someone pleaded.
Nothing.
No movement.
No breathing.
Then suddenly—
Eleonora coughed.
Water burst from her lungs.
The crowd gasped.
She was alive.
But before anyone could celebrate, something unexpected happened.
An older man pushed through the crowd.
His face had gone white.
He stared at the unconscious maid.
Then he dropped to his knees.
The guests looked confused.
The man was none other than Alexander Volkov.
Victoria's father.
One of the richest men in the country.
"Dad?" Victoria asked.
But Alexander wasn't looking at her.
His eyes remained fixed on Eleonora.
His hands were shaking.
Then he whispered words that made everyone stop breathing.
"No..."
Tears filled his eyes.
"It can't be."
Victoria had never seen her father cry.
Not once.
Yet now tears streamed down his face.
"Dad, what's happening?"
Alexander slowly looked at his daughter.
The disappointment in his eyes was devastating.
"Do you know who this girl is?"
Victoria stared blankly.
"A maid."
The billionaire closed his eyes.
Then he spoke.
"No."
His voice cracked.
"She's your sister."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The world seemed to stop.
Victoria felt the blood drain from her face.
"What?"
The guests exchanged shocked looks.
Alexander struggled to breathe.
Twenty-three years earlier, before marrying Victoria's mother, he had fallen in love with a young woman named Elena.
They planned a future together.
But Elena disappeared shortly after giving birth.
Alexander spent years searching.
He never found her.
Until six months earlier.
Private investigators finally uncovered the truth.
Elena had died years ago.
But her daughter survived.
Eleonora.
Alexander had secretly arranged for her to work at the mansion while he prepared to introduce her to the family.
He wanted the reunion to be perfect.
Instead...
Victoria had nearly killed her.
His own daughter had pushed her sister into a pool for entertainment.
Victoria staggered backward.
"No..."
But Alexander wasn't finished.
His voice became cold.
Colder than anyone had ever heard.
"From this moment forward, every inheritance document I prepared for you is suspended."
The crowd gasped.
Victoria's knees nearly gave out.
May you like
She suddenly realized something terrifying.
Her cruel joke might cost her everything.
