The elderly woman collecting cardboard only stopped outside the mansion to ask for a glass of water… no one expected the owner of the estate to start trembling the instant he recognized her voice.

Victoria snapped back into panic mode. The sight of the luxury sedans cleared away whatever temporary shock she had felt.

"Gavin! Get up!" Victoria hissed frantically, grabbing Gavin by his collar and forcefully pulling him to his feet. "The Sterlings are here! Stand up! Wipe your face!"

She turned to Brenda and the chauffeur, pointing a manicured finger at them menacingly. "If either of you speaks a single word about what you heard here tonight, I will ensure you never work in this state again! Do you understand me?"

Brenda nodded frantically, her face pale, and immediately backed away toward the side entrance.

Victoria turned back to Martha, her expression twisting into desperate, cold hatred. "Look at me, old woman. You've had your little moment of drama. My husband owes you an apology, fine! But if you ruin this dinner tonight, I will have the police arrest you for extortion, theft, and trespassing! Move your garbage cart out of the driveway right now!"

Martha didn't flinch. She simply looked at Victoria with a quiet, unyielding calm. "The gate is open, child. And the truth doesn't ask for permission to enter."

Before Victoria could push Martha away, the driver of the lead luxury sedan stepped out, running around to open the rear passenger door.

An elderly man with thick silver hair, tailored tuxedo, and an air of immense power stepped out. Arthur Sterling—a man whose influence reached into the highest halls of government and finance—walked toward the open gates, accompanied by his wife and two senior board members.

"Gavin, my boy!" Arthur Sterling called out, his voice rich and jovial as he approached. "We took the scenic route through the valley! I hope we aren't too early for—"

Arthur stopped mid-sentence.

His eyes fell upon the scene in the driveway.

Gavin was standing in his dirt-stained suit, his eyes bloodshot and swollen from crying. Victoria was standing stiffly beside him, her face flushed with panic. And standing right in the center of the open gateway, blocking the path with a rusted iron cart full of cardboard and tin cans, was Martha.

"What on earth..." Arthur Sterling muttered, his brow furrowing as he looked around. "Gavin? Is everything alright here? Did something happen?"

Victoria immediately put on her polished social smile, though her voice vibrated with nervous energy. "Mr. Sterling! Welcome! Please, excuse this minor inconvenience. We... we had a slight issue with a trespasser. This poor woman was wandering down the private road, and Gavin was just offering her some assistance before security takes her away—"

"Quiet, Victoria," Arthur Sterling said, but he wasn't looking at her.

He was staring directly at Martha.

Arthur’s eyes drifted down to the faded apron, then to the worn burlap sacks, and finally to the frail, dirty face of the woman holding the cart handle.