Henry cried his heart out, and Sallie’s voice grew soft with worry. “Hey, sweetheart, don’t cry. Auntie’s coming over right now to stand up for you!”
Between hiccupped sobs, Henry recounted everything that had happened that day. Sallie patiently soothed him, her words finally calming him down enough to head back to his room in the villa.
The call had been on speaker, so Mabel heard every word Sallie said. Frowning, she went to knock on the master bedroom door.
“Ma’am, it’s me,” she called quietly.
Jessica opened the door.
Mabel stepped inside and lowered her voice. “Young Master just called Miss Sallie. She said she’s coming over to stand up for him. Ma’am, Miss Sallie’s temper isn’t exactly gentle—maybe you’d like to avoid her for now?”
Jessica waved it off, signaling there was no need.
If Sallie wanted to come and throw her out, so much the better.
Jessica picked up her phone and typed: “Mabel, thank you for letting me know. And thank you again for helping me last time.”
“Ma’am, you’ve always been so good to us. This is nothing.” Mabel hesitated, then added, “But… well, I don’t think Mr. Lawson is completely indifferent to you. It’s that Sheila woman—she’s shameless, always hanging around him. Ma’am, now even Henry’s learning to misbehave. Do you really want to let this family fall apart like this?”
This wasn’t what Mabel had hoped for. Once upon a time, Mr. Lawson might have been a bit distant, but at least the family had been peaceful.
Jessica gave a weary smile. It takes two to tango; Sheila could only get close to Timothy if he allowed it. If he shut the door, she’d never get near.
And these past seven years—maybe they looked harmonious to outsiders, but only she knew what it really felt like.
Mabel realized there was nothing more she could say, so she quietly slipped out to get back to her chores.
Not even half an hour later, Sallie swept into The Gilded Whisper Estates like a storm.
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