My Housekeeper Tried to Replace Me with Her Daughter Chapter 07

My Housekeeper Tried to Replace Me with Her Daughter Chapter 07

The hallway was packed with neighbors. Word had spread fast.

A few of Marlene’s usual little crowd had pushed their way to the front, whispering.

Everett’s brow creased. “Who the hell is Tessa?”

Tessa drifted into the doorway, eyes already glistening.

“Everett, don’t you remember what happened between us last month?”

“You told me you’d file for divorce. You said you didn’t love her. You said you’d marry me.”

Everett stared at her like she’d sprouted a second head.

“Are you two out of your minds? I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

“I’ve been out of town for a month straight. My plane landed half an hour ago.”

“I haven’t set foot in this house in a month. How exactly did something happen between us last month?”

The hallway went dead quiet.

Every head turned.

The color drained from Tessa’s face.

Marlene’s jaw went tight. She yanked Tessa behind her.

“Don’t you dare deny it, Mr. Ashford!”

“My daughter was a virgin! You think you can just sleep with her and walk away?”

“You’re saying it wasn’t you?”

“Then who was it? Nobody else had a key to this place!”

The neighbors started murmuring again, sneaking glances at Everett.

I could see he was about to explode. I stepped forward and held up the iPad I’d brought.

“The security footage will clear this up.”

I pulled up the recording from last month and hit play.

The first clip was from the doorbell camera.

Timestamp: 8:00 PM, two days after I’d left for my parents’.

A man in a gray work uniform walked up to the front door and knocked. No answer. He pulled out

phone and dialed a number.

“Hello, Ms. Ashford. I’m Nolan Cole, the maintenance tech from Maple Crest. I’m here to fix that blown breaker.”

“Sorry about the hour. We got swamped with requests today, so I’m running behind.”

“Would you mind unlocking the door remotely?”

In the video, the smart lock clicked open. He thanked me and went in.

I glanced up from the screen. Marlene and Tessa had both gone still.

I switched to the living room camera.

Timestamp: 8:10 PM.

The power was still out, so Nolan was working by flashlight. It was slow going.

Then the front door opened again, from the outside.

Two people whispered to each other in the darkness.

“He’s really here. And Vivienne’s gone. This is perfect. Make sure he drinks this. Once it kicks in,

seal the deal.”

“If you get pregnant tonight, we’re set for life.”

A younger voice answered. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve got this.”

The door quietly closed.

A figure moved through the dark toward Nolan, a bottle of water in hand. The flashlight caught her

face.

It was Tessa.

She held the bottle out to Nolan. “Everett, take a break. Have some water.”

Nolan thanked her, unscrewed the cap, and drank more than half the bottle.

What happened next was exactly what you’d expect.

Minutes later, Nolan was flushed and burning up. Tessa pressed herself against him, and he was in

no state to stop her. The two of them stumbled into the bedroom.

The security recording ended there.

A beat of stunned silence passed. Then the hallway erupted.

Tessa let out a scream. She looked like she might faint.

Marlene stood there, cycling through every shade between white and crimson