The call lasted less than ten seconds.
Alexander waited for someone to answer.
Then he delivered a single command.
"Shut down every account tied to her name. Now."
The room froze.
Vanessa stared at him.
Surely she had misunderstood.
But Alexander calmly ended the call and placed the phone back into his pocket.
No explanation.
No warning.
Just silence.
A moment later, Vanessa's phone vibrated.
Then it vibrated again.
And again.
Confused, she pulled it from her purse.
The first notification came from one of her investment accounts.
Access suspended.
The second came from a corporate financial institution.
Accounts under review.
The third message informed her that several business partnerships had been frozen pending investigation.
Her face immediately turned pale.
"No..."
More notifications followed.
Every alert delivered worse news than the one before.
The woman who had seemed untouchable only minutes earlier suddenly looked terrified.
Meanwhile Sophie watched in complete confusion.
Why would Alexander do this?
Why was he helping her?
Vanessa rushed toward him.
"You can't do this!" she shouted.
Alexander remained perfectly calm.
"You humiliated someone who couldn't defend herself."
Vanessa tried to argue.
Tried to explain.
Tried to justify her actions.
But Alexander wasn't interested.
"You spent years believing money placed you above everyone else."
The words struck harder than any slap.
Vanessa stood speechless.
The entire staff watched in shock.
Then Alexander looked toward Sophie once more.
His expression softened slightly.
Not out of pity.
Out of recognition.
As though he knew something about her that nobody else did.
Vanessa noticed it immediately.
Fear flashed across her face.
"Who is she?" she whispered.
Alexander's eyes remained fixed on Sophie.
The answer came slowly.
Coldly.
"Someone you never should have touched."
The room fell silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
And when Alexander delivered his final warning, chills ran through everyone in the mansion.
"This isn't over yet."
Because the downfall of Vanessa Ashford had only just begun.
And the secret connection between Alexander and the maid was far more shocking than anyone could possibly imagine.