Chapter 2: The Billionaire’s Question
The silence inside the mansion became unbearable.
Victoria felt it immediately.
Something was wrong.
Alexander Hayes was supposed to admire Olivia and Charlotte.
That was the plan.
The entire evening had been carefully arranged.
The flowers.
The dinner.
The dresses.
The conversations.
Everything was designed to make one of her daughters unforgettable.
But Alexander wasn’t looking at either of them.
He was looking at Samantha.
Victoria forced a laugh.
“Oh, Mr. Hayes, please excuse her.””
She stepped slightly between them.
“She’s not part of the evening.””
Samantha lowered her eyes.
The words landed exactly where Victoria intended.
Not part of the evening.
Not part of the family.
Not important.
Alexander’s expression changed.
“Not part of the evening?””
Victoria smiled nervously.
“She helps around the house.””
Olivia and Charlotte exchanged a quick glance.
Charlotte almost smiled.
Alexander looked back at Samantha.
“You work here?””
The question surprised her.
Nobody asked her anything.
Not like that.
Samantha slowly nodded.
“I help my family.””
Victoria immediately interrupted.
“She’s being modest.””
Samantha looked confused.
Alexander noticed.
“Your family?””
The room became quiet.
Victoria’s face tightened.
“She means the household.””
Alexander studied her for a moment.
Then he walked closer to Samantha.
Every step made Victoria more uncomfortable.
Samantha held the plate tighter.
She didn’t understand what was happening.
Why was this powerful man walking toward her?
Why was he looking at her like she was someone worth noticing?
When Alexander stopped in front of her, his voice softened.
“What’s your name?””
Samantha looked up.
“Samantha.””
He waited.
She realized he expected more.
“Samantha Collins.””
Something changed in Alexander’s eyes.
Collins.
That name clearly meant something.
Victoria noticed.
“Mr. Hayes, perhaps we should move to the salon. Dinner is prepared.””
But Alexander ignored her.
Instead, he looked at Samantha.
“Do you always introduce yourself like you’re apologizing for existing?””
The question hit her harder than any insult.
Samantha didn’t know how to respond.
“I… I don’t understand.””
Alexander glanced around the room.
At the expensive decorations.
At the smiling faces.
At the way everyone stood except Samantha.
Then he looked back at her.
“I asked a simple question.””
Samantha swallowed.
“I’m just used to staying quiet.””
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Alexander asked:
“Why?””
Samantha opened her mouth.
But no answer came.
Because the truth sounded too embarrassing.
Because explaining her life meant admitting how little she mattered in her own home.
Victoria stepped forward.
“That’s enough.””
Her voice became sharper.
“She has always been shy.””
Alexander looked at Victoria.
“No. She has always been ignored.””
The words froze everyone.
Olivia’s smile disappeared.
Charlotte’s confident expression faded.
Victoria stared at him.
Nobody spoke to her that way.
Especially not someone like Alexander Hayes.
Dinner continued, but the atmosphere had changed.
At the table, Olivia tried desperately to capture Alexander’s attention.
She talked about charity events.
Luxury vacations.
Fashion shows.
Charlotte interrupted constantly with stories about her achievements.
But Alexander barely reacted.
Instead, he occasionally glanced toward Samantha.
She sat at the end of the table.
Eating quietly.
Almost invisible.
Finally, Alexander placed his fork down.
“Samantha.””
Everyone looked at her.
She looked surprised.
“Yes?””
“Why were you washing dishes tonight?””
Victoria immediately answered.
“She offered.””
Samantha looked at her.
She knew that wasn’t true.
Alexander noticed the hesitation.
“Samantha?””
The room waited.
For once, someone was asking for her answer.
She quietly said:
“Because someone had to.””
A strange silence followed.
Alexander leaned back.
“And nobody else could?””
Samantha looked down.
“No.””
That one word said everything.
After dinner, Samantha returned to the kitchen.
She needed distance from the strange attention.
She didn’t want to become a new problem.
She had spent years surviving by becoming invisible.
But when she entered the kitchen, she noticed something on the counter.
A small envelope.
With her name written on it.
Samantha frowned.
Nobody ever left anything for her.
She opened it carefully.
Inside was an old photograph.
Her hands started shaking.
It was a picture of three babies.
Olivia.
Charlotte.
And Samantha.
But on the back of the photograph were six handwritten words.
Words that made her heart stop.
“Ask your mother about the truth.””
Before Samantha could understand what it meant…
the kitchen door slowly opened behind her.
May you like
A voice whispered:
“Samantha… you were never supposed to find that.””
