She thought the family's darkest secret had been buried forever—but she never imagined that the mansion's new maid would become the greatest threat to the empire of lies she had spent years building. 😱🔥

Helena stared at the dead remote control in her hand, her mind completely collapsing under the weight of her defeat.

"No... no, no, no..." she whimpered, dropping the plastic device onto the rug.

"It's over, Helena," Arthur said, his voice filled with a profound, quiet sorrow. "The police are arriving in five minutes. You're going to prison for the rest of your life."

Suddenly, a loud, metallic CRACK shattered the morning air.

It wasn't an explosion from the basement. It was a high-caliber gunshot from the tree line five hundred yards away across the estate’s east lawn.

CRASH!

The massive floor-to-ceiling glass window of the dining room exploded inward in a shower of deadly crystal shards.

Julian Vance grunted loudly, spinning around as a high-velocity bullet caught him in the shoulder, knocking him backward over the dining table. Silverware, china, and hot coffee rained down onto the floor.

"SNIPER!" Arthur roared, throwing himself across the table and tackling Evelyn to the Persian rug just as a second bullet whipped through the air, punching a hole through the mahogany chair where Evelyn had been standing a second before.

CRACK! CRACK!

Two more shots splintered the heavy oak doors, showering the room with wood fragments.

"GET DOWN!" Marcus screamed, scrambling under the massive table, clutching his head in terror.

Helena didn't get down. She stood frozen in the middle of the room, surrounded by falling glass, staring out at the distant tree line where a faint puff of white smoke drifted into the crisp morning air.

"He promised..." Helena whispered, her face completely blank. "He promised he would kill them all if the plan failed..."

Arthur looked up from the floor, his arms wrapped tight around Evelyn, shielding her body with his own. "Who, Helena?! Who promised?!"

A fifth shot rang out.

CRACK!