CHAPTER 6: THE WOMAN WHO CLAIMED THE MANSION
Three weeks after Noah's successful surgery, the Ashford estate was finally peaceful.
Until the gates opened.
A convoy of black luxury SUVs rolled into the driveway.
Every servant stopped working.
Emma looked out the library window.
"Are we expecting guests?"
Ethan frowned.
"No."
The lead car door opened.
A woman in an elegant ivory suit stepped out, followed by three lawyers and two private security guards.
She looked around the mansion as though she already owned it.
Mrs. Pierce.
The second wife of the late Richard Ashford.
She smiled when she saw Emma.
"So..."
"You're the maid everyone is talking about."
Emma remained calm.
"I used to be."
Mrs. Pierce laughed.
"No, dear."
"You'll always be one."
One of the lawyers stepped forward.
"My client is here to reclaim the Ashford Estate under a newly discovered trust agreement."
Ethan's face darkened.
"Impossible."
The lawyer placed a thick folder on the table.
"My client inherited controlling ownership years ago."
Emma watched Ethan carefully.
For the first time...
He looked genuinely shocked.
Mrs. Pierce leaned closer.
"I've been waiting twenty years for this day."
"And now..."
"I'm taking everything."
That night, Emma couldn't sleep.
She walked into the old family library.
As she passed the fireplace...
She noticed something strange.
One brick looked newer than the others.
She touched it.
Click.
A hidden compartment slowly opened.
Inside...
There was another leather journal.
It belonged to Richard Ashford.
Emma whispered,
"What were you hiding?"
She opened the first page.
And immediately realized...
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Mrs. Pierce had made one fatal mistake.
End of Chapter 6.
