Chapter 1

The entire internet was calling me a heartless monster. They accused me of using spy cameras to drive away my poor, hardworking nanny.

I bowed my head, apologized, and uninstalled every single camera. I left the house completely in her hands, letting her watch over it "with peace of mind."

She thought she had me under her thumb. Soon, she got bolder. She began stealing my high-end luxury serums, lounging in my silk pajamas, drugging my baby to keep him quiet, and inviting a gang of her friends over for wild parties in my living room.

On the very last day, when she was at her most arrogant, I pushed the front door open. But instead of throwing a tantrum, I started a live stream.

When the police arrived, she was still screaming and howling, accusing me of framing her.

I simply pointed at the nursery. "The baby you've been drugging for the past two weeks? That's your own grandson."

My phone screen lit up. On the security camera feed, my little baby, Leo, was crying, his face flushed red.

Brenda, my live-in nanny, was holding him. She wasn't gently patting him or rocking him to sleep.

Instead, she gripped Leo tightly under his armpits and shook him violently back and forth!

"Cry, cry, cry! That’s all you know how to do! You little curse!"

She cursed under her breath, her face twisted in a terrifying scowl.

Before I could even catch my breath, Brenda threw Leo, who was crying so hard he was gasping, straight into his bouncer.

The baby sank into the seat, his cries growing weak and exhausted.

She then turned around and walked straight to my vanity. She picked up my newly opened jar of luxury designer face cream—a cream that cost me a fortune.

Her nails, long and dirty, scooped out a massive dollop of the cream. She smeared it onto her wrinkled face like she was plastering a wall.

She smacked her lips. "Hmph. Rich people sure know how to enjoy life."

The blood rushed to my head.

I had worked overtime for weeks, pulling all-nighters until I was physically sick, just to treat myself to that cream.

I hadn't even been willing to spend that much money on myself normally!

I rushed home. My hand shook so violently I could barely fit the key into the lock.

In the living room, Leo was still whimpering in his bouncer, his little face stained with tears.

Brenda was lounging on the sofa with her legs crossed, watching TV. When she saw me walk in, she jumped in surprise.

"Oh, Chloe! You’re home early?"

I forced down my raging fire. "Brenda, was Leo crying hard just now?"

"Oh, no, he's fine. Babies are always like this. He was just a bit fussy before his nap." Her eyes darted away, avoiding mine.

"I think I saw you... shaking him?" I kept my voice as calm as possible.

But that one sentence set off an explosion.

Brenda shrieked. She slapped her thighs and sat straight down on the floor, wailing.

"Oh my god! I work myself to the bone taking care of your baby! My back is practically broken! And what do you do? You spy on me?! Am I a criminal to you? If you don't trust me, just hire someone else!"

I stood there, completely stunned. Her sudden transformation was faster than turning a page in a book.

While she was screaming, the front door opened. My husband, Austin, walked in from work.

"What's going on here?"

Seeing her savior, Brenda crawled over and grabbed Austin's leg.

"Austin! Thank goodness you’re back! Your wife is trying to drive me to my grave! I just gave the baby a gentle rock, and she accused me of abuse! God is my witness, I have done nothing but love this child!"

Austin looked incredibly embarrassed. He wanted to pull her up but didn't know where to touch her.

"Brenda, please stand up first. Let’s talk this through."

"I won't get up! I can't live like this anymore!"

She wept, her tears and snot wiping all over Austin’s trousers.

Austin frowned and looked at me. "Chloe, what’s going on? Brenda works really hard. Did you mistake something? We need to be more understanding."

Understand her?

Who was going to understand me?

Who was going to understand my baby boy?

I was so angry my body went cold. I couldn't even squeeze out a single word.

That night, while I was rocking Leo to sleep, my phone began vibrating like crazy.

It was the neighborhood WhatsApp group. 99+ notifications.

I opened it. It was a long post written by Brenda's daughter, Tiffany, tagging me directly.

*“Exposing my mother’s heartless employer, Chloe Lin! A modern-day slave driver! She uses 24-hour surveillance to humiliate and strip my mother of her dignity!”*

Attached was a blurry screenshot of the security camera, taken from an angle that made it look like the camera was aimed toward the bathroom.

The group chat exploded.

"Oh my god, this is such a violation of privacy!"

"Nannies are human beings too! How could anyone do this?"

"Chloe in C-1002, come out and explain yourself!"

"No wonder Brenda was crying so hard today. Poor woman."

My hands shook as I typed.

I wanted to explain. I wanted to tell them that Brenda had shaken my baby first, that she was stealing my things!

But nobody cared to listen. The messages flew by too fast, all of them hurling insults at me.

The doorbell rang. Marcus, the building manager, stood at the door with two nosy neighbors who were eager for drama.

"Chloe," Marcus said with an awkward, troubled expression. "You’ve seen the messages in the group. This is reflecting very badly on our community. Our building prides itself on harmony. Don't you think... you should turn off those cameras first? Just to keep the peace."

Mrs. Higgins, a neighbor, chimed in. "Yes, Chloe. If you use someone, you must trust them. Otherwise, why hire them?"

I stared at their moving lips, my mind buzzing.

Austin stood beside me, whispering, "Maybe... just turn them off for now. We don't want a bigger scandal."

I was completely isolated.

At that moment, all the strength was sucked out of me.

I pulled out my phone, opened the security app in front of them, and hovered my finger over the "Deactivate" button. My hand was trembling.

I pressed it.

In the final second before the screen went black, I saw Brenda walk directly under the living room camera.

She tilted her head up, looked straight into the lens, and slowly curled her lips into a smug, mocking sneer.

My heart sank all the way to the bottom.

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