It was ten o’clock at night. Wilma had just finished cleaning up and was about to go to bed when the doorbell rang.
She opened the door to find Chester standing there, flashing his badge. “I’m with the police. You’re under suspicion of poisoning your employer. I need you to come with me.”
Wilma’s face drained of color; her hands trembled as she stared at Chester. “What… what are you talking about?”
From the top of the stairs, Alicia appeared, her voice cold and unwavering. “Wilma, I’m the one who called the police.” She descended the steps, fixing Wilma with a steely gaze. “There’s a camera in the kitchen. You can come clean and hand over whatever you used, or I’ll let Chester file a formal investigation and have you taken away right now. Your choice.”
Alicia’s anger was unmistakable.
Wilma looked more and more stricken. She wasn’t a bad person by nature, and the guilt of doing something so wrong was written all over her face. Wrapping her hands together, she pleaded, “Alicia, it’s a misunderstanding… I heard about your miscarriage and just wanted to help you recover.”
Alicia’s expression remained icy. “The food’s already been sent for analysis. It contained a drug that causes permanent infertility, Wilma. Are you still going to lie? I’m only giving you this chance because of the years you’ve worked here. Either you tell the truth now, or you go to jail. You have a son at university back home, don’t you? You know exactly how much this will affect his life if you’re convicted.”
Alicia was hitting her where it hurt most.
Everyone has a weakness. No one is immune.
Wilma’s fear became palpable. She looked at Alicia, voice shaking. “I’m just a housekeeper—hired by the Lynch family. You have no right to decide my fate.”
She was still trying to fight back.
Alicia scoffed. “You know exactly how much Tyrone cares about this child. He had no problem sending Melanie to the police station—did you really think you’d be treated differently?”
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