The slap was supposed to silence an eighty-year-old woman.

The slap was supposed to silence an eighty-year-old woman.

Instead, it exposed the secret that could bring down one of New York’s most feared billionaires.

The ballroom went silent when Madison Vale raised her hand.

“Maybe this will finally teach you some respect.”

Her palm struck Evelyn Carter across the face.

The elderly widow stumbled against the dining table, nearly falling.

I didn’t think.

I moved.

“STOP!”

I stepped between them just as Madison’s diamond bracelet caught my cheek. Pain exploded across my face, and I crashed onto the marble floor.

A wineglass shattered beside me.

Someone screamed.

Blood ran from the corner of my mouth.

Madison stared down at me in disbelief.

“You little servant.”

I slowly pushed myself up.

“My name is Rachel.”

She laughed coldly.

“And you’re still a maid.”

Across the room, Evelyn was trembling.

“Rachel, please,” she whispered. “Don’t make this worse.”

Madison turned toward her.

“You should be grateful I’m marrying your son. Without me, this family would be finished.”

That was when the ballroom doors opened.

Every conversation died instantly.

Daniel Carter walked inside.

Black tuxedo.

Cold expression.

Two security men behind him.

To Wall Street, he was a billionaire real-estate tycoon.

To men who worked the docks at night, he was something far more dangerous.

Daniel looked at the blood on my face.