After my son brought a girl home, strange things started happening around the house. The weird part was, I was the only one who noticed.

Every night, I was gripped by this deep fear and anxiety, but my family just didn’t understand. Their indifference broke my heart even more. Then, one day, by accident, I stumbled upon the truth.

I used to be the one at the mercy of others, but now it's my turn to take control and handle the situation head-on.

——

When my son showed up with a sweet, innocent-looking girl, I couldn't help but wonder if he had fallen for her.

"Mom, this is Josie Dunn, a college junior of mine. Our company sponsored her and now that she’s graduated and looking for a job, she doesn’t have a place to stay yet. So, I told her she could stay here for a while. Please look after her," he said.

"Hi, Mrs. Smith. Sorry for the trouble. If there’s anything I can do to help around here, just let me know," Josie added with a smile.

I hesitated, speechless for a moment. It felt too late to say no. She seemed polite and well-mannered, but something about her felt a little too calculated for my liking. But what could I do? I had no choice but to nod and smile.

"You're Liam’s friend, so make yourself at home. Just focus on your job search and don’t worry about a thing," I replied.

I asked Lorraine, our housekeeper, to set up a guest room for her near my daughter Yasmine’s room. But as Josie passed Yasmine’s door, I caught her sneaking a few glances, with a look in her eyes that felt too greedy to ignore. Something about it made me uneasy. I started worrying that maybe I’d invited trouble into our home.

Later that evening, my daughter, who was home for summer break, arrived.

"Sweetheart, I’ve missed you so much! Your dad is on a business trip but he'll be back tomorrow. I made all your favorite dishes tonight!" I said, excited to have her back home.

"Thanks, Mom! Oh? Who's this? Could she be my future sister-in-law?" Yasmine joked.

Liam turned bright red, but Josie just smiled and said, "Hi, I’m Josie Dunn. Your family has been kind enough to support me and I’m staying here while I look for a job."

I frowned at that. She didn’t deny Yasmine’s teasing. Could she really be interested in Liam?

Yasmine, as usual, didn’t think twice about it. She just assumed it was no big deal having someone their age stayed over.

"Welcome, Josie! Make yourself at home and don’t be shy about anything," Yasmine said, all friendly.

"Thanks," Josie replied with a sweet smile, but something about it gave me the chills. Maybe I was being too paranoid, but I couldn’t shake the feeling.

A little while later, I heard Yasmine shout from her room, so I rushed over.

"Mom! The diamond necklace you gave me for my 18th birthday—it’s gone!" she cried out, clearly upset.

I felt a wave of shock. The necklace disappearing right after Josie moved in felt like more than just a coincidence. My instincts were screaming, but I held back my anger. I took a deep breath and headed to the living room.

"Miss Dunn," I said as calmly as possible, "my daughter’s necklace seems to have gone missing. Did you happen to see it when you walked by her room earlier?"

Josie looked at me, wide-eyed, her face full of surprise. "Mrs. Smith, do you think I took Yasmine’s necklace? I may come from a poor background, but I’d never steal!" she said, looking hurt by the suggestion.

When Liam heard Josie, he looked at me, clearly upset.

"Mom, you can't just accuse someone without proof. Maybe Yasmine just misplaced it! Josie’s my friend and you need to respect her," he said, sounding frustrated.

I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t even accused Josie outright, but somehow, she had twisted the whole situation and now Liam was angry at me.

"Liam, you know your sister has OCD. She always keeps her things in the same spot. And honestly, who else goes into her room? I'm not disrespecting Josie—I’m just asking a question. And is this really how you speak to your mother?" I said, trying to stay calm, but my patience was wearing thin.

Liam opened his mouth to argue, but Josie stepped in, her eyes brimming with fake tears. "Mrs. Smith, if you don’t believe me, you can search my room or even me. But please, Liam, don’t argue with your mom because of me. I’m just a guest here. I’ll move out soon so I won’t cause any more trouble," she said, her voice full of fake humility.

As if on cue, tears started rolling down her cheeks. I stood there, stunned. This girl was something else—turning on the tears so effortlessly.

Just then, Yasmine rushed out of her room, panicked. "Mom! I found it—it was under my bed! Josie didn’t take it. Liam, don’t be mad at me! Josie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you!"

Liam scoffed and grabbed Josie by the hand. "We’re not staying here. Josie and I will go eat somewhere else. We don’t need to stick around and be treated like this," he snapped.

Without waiting for a response, they left. As they walked out, Josie glanced back at me with a sly, triumphant smile that made my stomach turn. I collapsed onto the sofa, my heart heavy. How could my own son turn on me so quickly, all because of her?

I didn’t know what hurt more—his coldness or the fact that Josie was clearly manipulating him. But if she was only after our family’s money, then I’d make sure this little love story ended. I wasn’t about to let her get away with it.

I leaned back on the sofa, waiting for what felt like forever before they finally came home. Liam looked a bit tipsy, so I called Lorraine to help him to his room.

"Miss Dunn," I said calmly, turning to her, "do you have a minute? I'd like to talk."

Now that it was just the two of us, her whole demeanor changed. She dropped the sweet act and sat down with an air of confidence. "Mrs. Smith, it’s clear Liam cares about me. If you try to keep us apart, it’ll only strain your relationship with him. And the more you push, the closer he’ll be to me," she said, her voice smug.

Her boldness irritated me, but I kept my cool. She wasn’t entirely wrong and for the sake of my son, I had to tread carefully. I took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Fine, as long as he’s happy," I replied. "How’s the job search going? If you’re struggling, you can try working at our family company. But you’d have to start from the bottom. I’m sure you wouldn’t want people thinking you got in through any favors."

She frowned, clearly not thrilled, but after a pause, she agreed.

Later, in the privacy of my room, I pulled out my phone and texted my most trusted contact at the company, [The fish has bitten the hook.]

I might have been out of the business world for a while, but I wasn’t naive. I had helped build that company from the ground up alongside my husband and I still had a few loyal people there. Keeping an eye on Josie? That would be the easy part.

The next morning, Josie was dressed to the nines, looking like she was headed for a fancy date. Liam, completely smitten, couldn't stop praising her and saw her off to work like a lovesick puppy.

It was clear she barely hid her contempt for my son’s obvious infatuation.

Around noon, I received a message from my confidant.

[Liam’s taste is terrible! Josie’s just a pretty face with no brain. She spent the morning goofing off and nearly messed up a big order from one of our longtime clients. We had to move her to the front desk.]

[Got it. Keep an eye on her and make sure things don’t go wrong,] I replied.

I hoped my message was clear. Josie needed to face the real world and learn a lesson.

Later, at dinner, my husband raised his glass with a big smile. "First, let’s give a warm welcome to Miss Dunn! Make yourself at home and don’t be shy. And of course, welcome back to our daughter, who’s been missing her dad!"

I watched Yasmine happily cuddle up to my husband, asking for gifts with that familiar spoiled charm. Meanwhile, Josie sat there, glaring at the father-daughter scene with barely concealed annoyance. I cleared my throat and addressed my husband with a serious tone, "Honey, Ms. Willow mentioned that we nearly lost a significant order from one of our longtime clients today. Apparently, Miss Dunn was involved. Is that correct?"

Josie began to apologize, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I’m really sorry for the mistake. I’m new to this and I promise next time I—”

Before she could finish, my husband interrupted her. “You’ll be working at the front desk for now. We can discuss this later.”

Josie’s face went from pale to red and she managed to croak out an “okay.”

Liam then jumped in, “Why don’t you come work at my company? It’s small, but I’m sure you’ll be treated well.”

I sighed quietly. His company was just getting started, barely more than a small studio. It wasn’t exactly something to brag about.

As expected, Josie quickly turned him down, saying with a sincere smile, “Thanks, Liam, but I’d prefer to stay at your dad’s company and build my experience first.”

I raised an eyebrow. It seemed like Josie was determined to stick around.

I decided to make a statement. “I’m planning to transfer half of my shares to Yasmine.”

Unexpectedly, Josie seemed unfazed, but Liam’s reaction was immediate. “Mom! Yasmine’s going to get married eventually and my shares will be less than hers.”

Yasmine, still recovering from the shock, quickly said, “Mom, you don’t need to give me so much. I’m going to get married someday.”

I gently patted her head and said, “This is for your future, to give you confidence when you join a new family. It’s the best support I can offer.”

Yasmine hugged me tightly and I held her close while casting a sharp glance at the other three.

My husband looked unsettled, Liam was increasingly anxious, but Josie’s face remained neutral.

Josie was proving to be more than just an ordinary girl. She seemed to have some depth and skills. Clearly, we couldn’t afford to underestimate her.

Before heading to bed, I noticed a strong smell of sage coming from Josie’s room, mixed with something that faintly resembled blood. I could hear her mumbling—she seemed to be performing some sort of ritual.

Just as I was about to listen more closely, the door swung open suddenly. I straightened up quickly and managed a nervous smile.

“Aren’t you asleep?” Josie asked coolly.

“I burn sage and chant a prayer every night before bed,” she added, then shut the door firmly.

As she closed it, I caught sight of a dark object on her table. It didn’t look like any ordinary statue. Even though I was not superstitious, it felt unsettling.

I went back to our room and told my husband about what I had seen and everything that had happened over the past couple of days.

Given his experience in the business world, he took it seriously. After considering it for a moment, he said, “I’ll have someone check on our family’s situation. It’s unusual that Liam stood up to you like that. Also, Lorraine mentioned that several of the koi fish in the yard are missing. That’s definitely odd.”

I nodded. For now, I would need to keep a close watch on Josie without giving away my suspicions.

I managed to fall asleep, but was soon jolted awake. It felt like someone was whispering in my ear, though I couldn’t make out the words clearly.

I woke my husband in a panic, whispering, “I keep hearing someone chanting in my ear!”

Groggy and annoyed, he grumbled, “What are you talking about? You’re just scaring yourself. I have a meeting tomorrow; I need to get some sleep. Go back to bed!”

He rolled over and quickly went back to sleep, his indifference making me feel even colder. It seemed like I couldn’t rely on the men in my life. I’d have to look out for myself and talk to Yasmine.

I glared at his back before settling back into bed, feeling uneasy.

The next morning, I called Yasmine into the study and said seriously, “Yasmine, you’re old enough now and there’s something important you need to know. We might face some issues soon. You need to stay safe and keep your distance from Josie. If anything happens to me, don’t worry about it.”

Yasmine looked at me, clearly frightened and said, “Mom, what’s happening? Is this because of the shares? I can give them up if it helps. Please don’t be scared.”

“No, the shares are yours. Your brother and dad aren’t dependable right now and with Josie in the picture, it’s even more complicated. We need to rely on each other,” I said firmly.

Yasmine nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation. “I get it, Mom. I’ve noticed the shift in the house since Josie arrived. Dad and Liam aren’t the same.”

Her observation made me wonder about Marcus’s involvement. Could they be linked to this somehow? I felt a wave of unease, but at least I had my daughter’s support.

Just then, my phone rang. Liam was causing trouble with the shareholders over the shares and they were demanding I resolve the issue quickly.

I was stunned. It felt like Liam was pushing me too far and I was beginning to question my decisions.

Before I could react, I got another bombshell, Josie was pregnant.