Chapter 3

"Mrs. Miller, I..."

Hailey’s face went pale. Tears finally spilled over as she looked anxiously behind me, searching for someone.

I chuckled and stepped aside, showing her the empty hallway. Hailey’s body trembled as she spoke defiantly.

"Ethan isn't back yet? He's the one who hired me. You don't have the right to fire me on your own."

"Is that so? But I’m the one who signs your paychecks. Do you still think I don't have the right?"

Ignoring her pale face, I pulled out my phone and called the housekeeping agency, explaining the situation. Within minutes, Hailey’s phone rang.

"Hailey! What the hell did you do?" her manager’s voice boomed through the receiver. "The client just filed a formal complaint and terminated your contract! Get your ass back to the office, grab your final check, and get lost!"

Hailey’s face completely drained of color.

"I understand, sir," she whispered.

After hanging up, she glared at me, her eyes filled with self-righteous anger. "Mrs. Miller, you are being horrible! When Ethan finds out, he will never forgive you!"

I laughed out loud. It was hilarious how confident she was. She honestly believed Ethan would play the hero and punish me for her.

"And who are you to him that he would care about your forgiveness?"

I sneered. She seemed to realize something, panicked, and ran out of the villa.

"Woof! Woof!"

The dog tried to chase after her, but the moment its paws touched the freezing snow outside, it whimpered and shrank back. Even then, it turned around to bare its teeth at me.

I scoffed and called estate security to throw the dog out of the gated community.

Even though it whined and scratched at the door, I felt absolutely nothing. Its owner was Hailey. What did its life have to do with me? Honestly, if it weren't against the law to abuse animals, I would have had it put down myself.

Once the tension left my body, a wave of exhaustion hit me. I yawned and went upstairs to sleep.

The next morning, the doorbell rang violently.

I opened the door to find Chloe standing there, her face bruised and swollen, covered in a thin layer of snow. She was shivering uncontrollably.

The moment she saw me, she began to scream, "Are you deaf? I’ve been knocking forever! Were you trying to freeze me to death?"

I didn't answer. She scowled, looking at me as if I had committed some unforgivable sin.

"Maya, why did you leave Ethan behind and run off by yourself yesterday? Didn't you know we were in the middle of a fight?"

"Yeah, I knew. But Ethan and I were fighting too. Is it not normal for me to leave when I'm angry?"

I took a bite of my toast. In the corner of the ceiling, the security camera’s red light blinked silently.

"Ethan beat up Garrett. Garrett is demanding two million dollars to drop the charges, otherwise, Ethan is going to prison! Give me the money, now!"

Chloe pushed past me, walked into my living room, and started eating the fruit on the counter as if she owned the place.

"Chloe, Ethan got into that fight because of you. Instead of helping your own brother, you’re letting your husband lock him up just so you can squeeze two million dollars out of me? Do I look like an idiot to you?"