No Maid Survived the Billionaire’s New Wife—Until a Black Maid Did the Impossible
“You clumsy idiot!”
The crack of the slap ricocheted through the Harringtons’ marble hall. Emily Parker—twenty-four, a recent nursing-school graduate forced into domestic work to cover her mother’s medical bills and her own student debt—stood frozen. Her cheek burned; her hand shook around the silver tray that had just lurched free. Crystal stemware lay shattered; a river of expensive champagne sank into the Persian rug.
Victoria Harrington, the billionaire’s new wife, stood before her—tall, arresting, her ice-blond hair twisted into a severe chignon. She radiated that chilly, immaculate beauty that only the most seasoned staff ever survived. Andrew Harrington, sixty, a ruthless real-estate magnate, had married her just six months earlier. In that short time, no maid had lasted more than three weeks under her roof.
The staff whispered about Victoria’s cruelty: the waitress dismissed for serving dinner five minutes late; the housekeeper fired over a half-inch crease. Rumor said Andrew had given up keeping permanent help—Victoria burned through people like matches. Emily knew the stories. She’d read the local gossip blogs that called Victoria the “Ice Queen.” She took the job anyway. There wasn’t a choice.
Victoria’s blue eyes flashed like steel as she stepped closer. “You never learn. One mistake and you’re gone. Clean this—now.”
Emily swallowed. Pride wanted to bite back; survival made her kneel. She pressed the linen into the carpet and began gathering shards, hands steady despite the sting. A sharp edge nicked her finger; a bright dot of blood bloomed. She didn’t make a sound.
Victoria’s mouth curled, pleased by the silence she mistook for submission. No one yet knew that Emily would become the first maid not only to endure Victoria Harrington—but to change the balance of power in the Harrington home in a way no one had imagined.
