Chapter 1 – The Glittering FacadeThe Astor Estate glittered beneath a winter sky, its towering windows glowing like golden mirrors against the darkness. Inside, billionaires, senators, celebrities, and old-money families moved beneath crystal chandeliers while a string quartet played a graceful waltz.

Champagne flowed. Laughter echoed. Diamonds flashed.

But Anna, one of the estate’s maids, felt something was wrong.

As she carried a silver tray through the crowded ballroom, an inexplicable chill crawled beneath her uniform. The Astor mansion was supposed to be a monument to success.

Tonight, it felt like a mausoleum.

She lowered her eyes and continued working.

Then she heard it.

A faint sound from somewhere beyond the ballroom.

Scratch.

Pause.

Scratch.

Anna stopped.

The music continued.

Nobody else seemed to notice.

But Anna did.

And something inside her told her not to ignore it.

Chapter 2 – A Ghost in the PlasterAnna followed the sound into the east wing.

The corridor was dimmer than the ballroom, its antique portraits disappearing into pools of shadow. Guests were forbidden from entering this section of the estate during renovations.

The scratching came again.

Closer.

Anna slowly approached the wall.

She pressed her palm against the cold plaster.

Nothing.

Then—

THUMP.

Anna jumped.

Her breathing stopped.

She leaned closer.

A tiny voice came through the wall.

“Help…”

Her face went pale.

It wasn’t an animal.

It was a child.

Anna looked down the empty corridor.

For a moment, fear told her to walk away.

She could lose her job.

She could be accused of trespassing.

She could become another disposable servant in a world where powerful people controlled everything.

But then the voice came again.

“Please…”

Anna closed her eyes.

Humanity won.

Chapter 3 – The SledgehammerAnna ran toward the renovation area.

She grabbed the heaviest tool she could find—a yellow-handled sledgehammer.

Her hands trembled as she carried it back.

The ballroom music continued behind her.

Nobody knew what was happening.

Anna lifted the hammer.

For one second, she hesitated.

Then she swung.

CRACK!

The sound exploded through the mansion.

Guests stopped talking.

The quartet stumbled into silence.

Anna swung again.

CRACK!

Plaster fractured.

Someone screamed.

“Stop her!” a man shouted.

Anna ignored them.

There was a child behind that wall.

And every second mattered.