Chapter 1

“Mrs. Jordan, what stunt are you pulling this time?”

Mrs. Watson, the housekeeper, looked at the suitcase in my hand with displeasure.

“Mr. Jordan treats you so well. He only brought that young girl home out of kindness. Do you really have to throw such a fit?”

Her wrinkled face puckered as she grumbled.

I gave her a cold look. Maybe I had been too gentle in the past, as she seemed to have forgotten that I was the one who hired her.

Even when the security guards I called threw her out, she still looked shocked.

“I’ve looked after Mr. Jordan since he was a boy! How could you treat me this way?”

I paid her no attention and opened the nightstand drawer. Inside was a small box, and in it lay three white pills.

It was almost time.

Soon, I would be free.

…

Late that night, Clayton Jordan came home. He saw me sitting on the couch and paused for a moment before coming closer. There was a cautious tone in his voice.

“Mrs. Watson only said a few things she shouldn’t have. You didn’t need to dismiss her. She is old. If you send her away, she will be left all alone. That would not be good.”

I looked at him calmly.

“She is a housekeeper. If she dares to interfere in her employer’s business, shouldn’t she be punished?”

Clayton immediately shot back, “She has cared for my family since my mother’s time. She is practically family to me. You went too far.”

“So you expect me to treat her like my mother?”

Clayton frowned when he heard the coldness in my voice.

“What’s wrong with you? Menopause? You never used to act like this.”

I had always been the kind to settle every score. However, he disliked strong-willed women, so I kept my temper in check for the sake of the mission.

Before I could reply, he stood up and told the butler to bring me chicken soup.

“This is your favorite. I bought it especially for you. Try it.”

Out of respect for our marriage, I swallowed my resentment and reached for the bowl. Just then, his assistant rushed in, looking panicked.

“Mr. Jordan, bad news. Ms. Sophie is having a depressive episode. She says she is going to kill herself!”

Clayton’s face turned pale. The bowl of soup slipped from his hands and shattered on the floor.

I watched his back as he hurried away. Even the butler spoke up.

“Ever since Sophie moved in next door, she has threatened to kill herself almost ten times a day. She always claims she misses her parents, but they died more than ten years ago. If she truly meant it, she would have joined them long ago.”