Chapter 1 - The Broken Crystal
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My name is Mia. Two hours before Luca Moretti found me on the floor, I was standing in the massive pantry of the estate. The air smelled of dried lavender and expensive spices. I was wiping down the stainless-steel prep tables, minding my own business, when the heavy oak door swung shut.
Isabella stood there. She wore a cream designer dress that cost more than my life, her blonde hair perfectly styled. But her eyes were ugly. Cold, calculating, and filled with a venom she reserved only for the staff.
"You think you’re clever, don't you?" she asked.
"I don't know what you mean, Miss Isabella," I replied, keeping my eyes firmly pinned to the floor.
"I saw the way he looked at you this morning," she hissed, stepping closer.
She meant Luca. The boss. He had simply asked me to pour his coffee, but his gaze had lingered on me for a fraction of a second longer than necessary. In this world, a fraction of a second was enough to get you killed.
"I'm just a maid, ma'am," I said quietly.
"Exactly," Isabella snapped.
She reached out and grabbed a priceless crystal serving bowl from the top shelf. She held it in the air for a moment, smiling a wicked, twisted smile. Then she simply let it go.
The crystal shattered into a thousand glittering pieces across the polished marble floor.
"Clean it up," she ordered.
As I knelt to pick up the shards, she grabbed my arm and violently shoved me backward. My leg slammed against the sharp corner of a wooden storage bench. The pain was blinding. I bit my lip to keep from screaming out loud.
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Isabella casually adjusted her diamond bracelet, looking down at me with pure disdain.
"You should be more careful," she whispered. "Accidents happen to clumsy girls."
