All Chapters of The Quiet Conspiracy: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Hearing that I agreed to let Fiona work at our house as a nanny, Lara threw a little fit. After all, Fiona was young and easy on the eyes.I comforted Lara and told her it was just temporary and that Fiona wouldn't be staying more than a few months.At the same time, I secretly installed cameras around the house to make sure there were no blind spots.After a week of getting ready, Fiona showed up at our place with Judy, dragging her suitcases and big bags along.She stood in the living room, a little excited while looking the place over. I knew exactly what she wanted. Same as last time, she wanted to move right in."Which room will I stay in?" she asked.I pretended to be clueless. "Stay? Who said anything about you staying here?"Fiona went bright red because she still had her luggage with her.Lara struggled to get up from the couch with her bump, and I rushed to help her.I said to Judy, "Show Fiona around the house. We only need daytime help; nine to six will do."Judy'

I thought about it all night and realized I didn't really know Fiona.Everything I knew about her came straight from her own mouth, and none of it held up.The next morning, Fiona showed up right on time.Just like before, she was hardworking, capable, and knew exactly how to say the right things.In just two days, Lara's opinion of her completely flipped.What Lara didn't know was that Fiona was a two-faced snake: sweet on the surface, but rotten underneath.When Lara was around, Fiona would gush about her beauty and good taste.But when Lara wasn't there, she'd show her real self."Lara sure has a lot of makeup," Fiona said once. "I don't usually wear any.""She wears makeup to highlight her beauty," I shot back. "You wearing makeup is just a waste of product.""Why is Lara still working while pregnant? If it were me, I'd stay home and focus on the family," she said another time."She's a modern woman," I replied, "not some relic stuck in the past with an outdated mindset.

Early Saturday morning, I pulled on several layers of plastic gloves, held back my disgust, and tossed it into the trash can.When Fiona came in for work, I slipped into the bathroom and checked the cameras on my phone.Sure enough, the first thing she did was dig through the trash.She eventually fished out a fresh rubber from the bedroom bin.Her face lit up, and she held it carefully with both hands as if it were some priceless treasure."Nelson, I'm going to grab breakfast. I'll be back soon," she called.I raised my voice in the bathroom. "Okay!"By the time Fiona returned, breakfast hours had long passed.Her face was gloomy, looking as if she was holding back tears.Lara, who was home on leave, noticed something was off with Fiona."What's wrong? Did something bad happen?" Lara asked.The moment she spoke, Fiona burst into tears."My mom got hit by a car. She's in critical condition and has been in the ICU for days. And… we can't afford her treatment."She choked on

I stayed behind my coworkers, so Fiona didn't notice me at first."Officers, help! They're trying to kill me!" she cried.Don jumped in right after, bawling like a kid. "My wife's an orphan, and she's uneducated. She went to the city to work, but people took advantage of her. Now they're saying we owe loan sharks!"I stepped out from between two of my colleagues and looked straight at Fiona."Fiona? Didn't you tell me your mom got hit by a car and you had to go home to take care of her?"Hearing my voice, Fiona immediately looked up. Her face twisted into a messy mix of embarrassment, panic, and a weird kind of excitement.One of my coworkers elbowed me. "You know her?""Sort of," I said casually. "She's my nanny. But we're not close. Before she left, she told me her mom was in an accident and even asked to borrow 20 grand from me. Guess she ended up borrowing from loan sharks."That was when Don finally connected the dots. His eyes widened, and then he jabbed his finger right

Kindhearted netizens pooled money to get Fiona into a high-end private maternity hospital in the city.On the day she gave birth, the hospital entrance was swarmed, with rows of reporters and influencers pointing their cameras at the door.Fiona walked out of the delivery room looking pale and worn out. Her eyes were red, but her tone was firm. "Thank you all for your support. We've finally made it to this day. I believe in justice, and I believe you all will be the judge. I will make sure to rid the scum in the law enforcement!"The crowd erupted in cheers, fueling her performance.But what Fiona didn't know was that her fame was half my doing. To keep the hype alive, I'd paid good money to boost her videos, and even contacted legal channels and major media outlets, posing as a concerned citizen, so they'd track the case. Without that, this hospital wouldn't be crawling with so many cameras today.A reporter called out, "Mrs. Shepard, the police are here, too. Do you plan to fi