My Housekeeper Tried to Replace Me with Her Daughter Chapter 06

My Housekeeper Tried to Replace Me with Her Daughter Chapter 06

He picked up on the second ring.

I could hear the smile in his voice.

“Honey, I just landed at Bellwether Regional. I’m heading home now.”

“We’ve got uninvited guests. You should get here fast.”

I kept my voice flat and hung up.

Marlene didn’t flinch when she heard me call him. If anything, she looked thrilled.

“Good. Even better that he’s on his way.”

“You two can sign the papers tonight. Then he and Tessa can go straight to the courthouse first

thing in the morning.”

“We do things the right way in this family. I’m not having my grandchild born out of wedlock.”

I ignored her. I handed Ms. Whitaker the bag of produce I’d brought from my parents’, everything my mom had grown herself in her garden, and asked her to put it away.

Ms. Whitaker nodded and headed for the kitchen.

That set Marlene off again.

“Hey, Whitaker, this place is still a mess. You haven’t even taken out the trash.”

“You haven’t been sneaking food, have you?”

“Know your place. Everything in this house belongs to my daughter now. You don’t touch a single thing without permission, not even the water.”

“If I catch you stealing food, you’ll deal with me.”

In her mind, she was already lady of the house.

Ms. Whitaker walked past her without a word.

Marlene’s face twisted. She started after Ms. Whitaker.

Then the elevator dinged in the hallway.

Everett was home.

“Vivienne, what’s going on? Who’s here? You sounded off on the phone.”

I could hear his footsteps coming fast down the hall.

Marlene’s whole face changed. She bolted for the door and latched onto Everett’s arm.

Tessa stood, too, drifting closer with downcast eyes and a soft, rehearsed smile.

“There he is! My future son-in-law!” Marlene’s voice could’ve carried down the whole hallway.

Everett recoiled. He yanked his arm free.

“Who are you calling your son-in-law? Have you lost your mind?”

“Didn’t my wife fire you? Why are you still in my house?”

I’d called Everett the day I let Marlene go and told him everything.

He hadn’t hesitated.

“You should have done it long ago.”

“She’s careless, and half the time you end up doing her job for her. What kind of housekeeper

makes her boss pick up the slack? You’ve been dealing with way too much.”

Marlene missed every single one of those signals. She launched right in.

“So you already know?”

“That lunatic Vivienne fired me for no reason!”

“She doesn’t work. She doesn’t bring in a single dime. She lives off you, eats your food, spends your money like it’s hers.”

“You pay my salary, not her. She had no right to let me go.”

“Divorce her already and marry Tessa…”

Everett’s jaw tightened with every word. Finally, he cut her off.

“Are you insane?”

“I like letting my wife spend my money. What’s that got to do with you?”

“Who the hell are you to tell me to leave my wife? Do you know how long it took me to get her to say yes? I’m never letting her go.”

That shut Marlene up, but only for a second.

“Ifv

f you don’t divorce her, how are you supposed to marry Tessa?”