Alice's daughter was named Lily.

At first, Lily just walked around the estate with her phone out, taking pictures and posting them on social media, bragging about how she "lived in a mansion."

Then she started helping herself to my clothes and my jewelry.

I told myself it was just teenage vanity. Let her have it.

What I couldn't shake was the way she looked at me. There was always disgust in her eyes — like I was something filthy.

A few times, when I sat down to eat, she'd suddenly cover her nose and frown. "How does such a fancy place always smell like poverty? Mom, can you smell that? It's revolting."

I actually thought there might be something off in the house and hired a professional cleaning crew for a deep clean.

If anything, it only got worse.

She started laying disposable seat covers on the chair I used. She'd toss my dishes straight into the trash after I ate.

Every time I confronted her about it, Alice would pull me aside and whisper.

"Ms. Wolfe, Lily has serious germophobia. She does this to everyone — it's not personal."

For Leo's sake — for his only daughter — I let it slide.

Until I saw the note on my chair, and finally understood.

Lily thought I was the freeloader. She thought I was the maid sponging off her family.

I had every intention of making them both pay for it.

But Alice was right there in front of me, begging.

"Ms. Wolfe, I swear it won't happen again. I'll send Lily home right now. I'll never bring her back. Please — for Leo's sake — give us this one chance."

The image of Leo's body in that wreck flashed through my head. I let out a breath.

"Fine. I won't press charges."

After that, Alice kept her word. Lily didn't come back.

Alice cooked on schedule, finished her work, and left quietly. Just like before.

The house went still again, as if the whole thing had never happened.

The only odd thing was — Alice kept asking me for favors.

Small things, at first.

"Ms. Wolfe, Lily has a school recital and nothing nice to wear. Could I borrow one of your gowns? I'll return it right away."

I was juggling billion-dollar deals every day. A dress was nothing.

"Sure. Pick whatever you want from the closet."

A few days later, Alice came to me with red, watery eyes.

"Ms. Wolfe… I haven't been feeling well lately. The doctor says I need surgery. The bill is more than I can handle. Could I borrow some money? Take it out of my pay."

"How much?"

"Five… five hundred thousand dollars."

Half a million dollars.

On her salary, she'd have to save every cent for over two years to come up with that.

But I didn't think about it long. No amount of money could match what Leo had given up for me.

I wired the money that same day, and gave her paid medical leave.

A week later, she was back.

"Ms. Wolfe, Lily has a piano competition out of state. It's a long drive. Could I borrow the Maybach? Just to get her there and back."

I said yes to all of it. I thought my kindness would mean something to her.

Until that day —

The wedding was coming up. I decided to head out to the estate to check on it.

That estate was where I'd be living after I got married.

Unlike the home I lived in now, that one meant something. My late father had designed it himself.

He was an architect. When I got engaged, he was overjoyed. He poured everything he had into designing the perfect estate for his only daughter.

Every detail held a piece of his love.

The house was barely finished when he passed away.

That estate was the last gift he ever gave me.

I called Alice and asked about the Maybach.

"Alice, do you still have the car? I need it today."

There was a long pause on the other end. Then she answered, careful.

"Ms. Wolfe, the car got a flat this morning. It's at the shop. They said it won't be ready until tomorrow."

I frowned but let it go.

I hung up and took the Ferrari out instead.

When I pulled up to the estate, I froze.

The Maybach I'd lent Alice was parked right out front. Untouched.

She had told me it was at the shop.

I confirmed the plate, then walked straight to the door.

It was unlocked. I pushed it open — and what I saw inside, I couldn't believe.

The main hall was a wreck.

Balloons, streamers, and paper plates everywhere. Cake crumbs across the coffee table. Frosting smeared on the leather couch. Footprints tracked across the carpet.

A huge banner stretched across the wall, the pink letters glaring at me: HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY, LILY!

My estate had been turned into a birthday party.

My fists clenched at my sides.

This estate was the last thing my father had ever given me. I cleaned it myself. No one understood what it meant to me — and now it had been trashed beyond recognition.

I scanned the room and spotted Lily on the center couch.

A circle of girls her age sat around her, chattering excitedly.

"Lily, your mom totally spoils you! This party is insane!"

"I heard that dress costs tens of thousands. Mrs. Hayes really loves you."

"That necklace too, it's gorgeous. Did your mom buy that for you as well?"

Lily touched the necklace at her throat and smirked.

"Of course. Mom drove me out of state to buy it. Five hundred thousand."

"And this estate," another girl gasped. "Is this Mrs. Hayes's place too?"

Lily lifted her chin. "This is Mom's gift for my eighteenth. As of today, it's mine."

"God, Lily, you're so lucky."

She basked in the flattery, smug as a cat with cream.

She was about to keep going when she turned and saw me.

Her face hardened. She marched over in her heels and, without a word, slapped me across the face.

The sound cracked through the room.

"You're a maid! How dare you steal a key and sneak in here?"

The slap left my head ringing.

The other girls stared. "Lily, who is that?"

Lily pointed at me with disdain. "This is the freeloader I told you about. Mooching off our food isn't enough — now she wants to move into my house."

I stared at her, incredulous. "Who told you this house was yours?"

She gave me a cold smile.

"My mother, obviously."

"You broke-ass nobody — you just want my mom to adopt you because she won the lottery, don't you?"

"It's not enough that you play victim and live off her, now you barge into the estate she bought me. Let me make it clear: my mom only has one daughter. She gave you a job because she felt bad about your dead parents. Don't push your luck."

I stood there, stunned.

So in Lily's mind, Alice was the lottery winner — the rich one — and I was the broke maid begging to be adopted.

No wonder she thought I was invading her life. Stealing her mother's affection.

It was almost laughable.

Lily turned to her friends, voice rising in performance.

"You guys have no idea how shameless this woman is. Lives in our house. Eats our food. Won't leave! I put up a note telling her not to mooch off us, and she called the cops on my mom for abuse!"

"My mom felt bad and let her stay on as the cook. She brought me here to relax — got me this estate as a present — and now this leech follows us out?"

Her friends took the cue and piled on.

"Living off charity and acting like an heiress? Pathetic."

"Right? Look how much Mrs. Hayes loves her daughter. That dress was custom-made for her birthday."

"And drove her across state lines to buy a half-million-dollar necklace."

"This estate is her eighteenth birthday gift. Who do you think you are, throwing a fit here?"

I stood there. It all clicked.

So that's why Alice kept asking for favors.

Designer gowns. The Maybach. Half a million dollars. The estate my father designed. She'd been pouring all of it into spoiling her daughter.

Alice. You wanted to test how far you could push me. Now find out.

I pulled out my phone and made the call right there.

"Track my location. Bring the team. Now."

Before I could finish, Lily ripped the phone out of my hand and slammed it onto the floor.

"You penniless little freeloader, you really thought you could call for backup? What, your trashy relatives gonna come mooch with you?"

Her friends jumped in.

"A lowlife maid playing dress-up. Pathetic."

"Some people just love climbing over their station the second they get a chance."

"Lily, you're too soft. I'd have thrown her out a long time ago."

The praise lit Lily up. She reached out to shove me. "Hear that? Everyone wants you gone."

When she lunged, the cross necklace at her throat caught the light.

My eyes locked on it. I grabbed her wrist. "Where did you get this necklace?"

"My mom bought it for me, obviously." She yanked her arm free.

"You're lying. My mother prayed for that necklace. For me." My voice was shaking and I couldn't stop it.

After the crash, the hospital had given me up more than once.

My mother went to the church every day, devastated, praying.

She knelt in 100-plus-degree heat for seven straight days — that was how she earned that cross.

Maybe heaven took pity on her. A week later, I came back from the ICU.

But my mother never recovered.

On her deathbed, she pressed the necklace into my palm and told me to keep it forever.

That necklace was the last thing my mother left me. Nothing on this earth was more precious to me. I would never let anyone take it.

I lunged for it.

Before I could touch her, Lily ripped the necklace off and held it high above her head.

"Want it? Get on your knees."

I shook with rage. My nails dug into my palms until they bled.

"Don't push this."

"Or what?" She tossed her hair and looked at me with contempt. "You're a cheap little maid. I'm the lady of the house. Who are you to talk back to me?"

She looked down at me.

"I'll count to three. Get on your knees, or I'm throwing it in the fireplace."

"One… two…"

I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood.

My legs felt like lead, but in the end I knelt down on the cold floor.

I bowed my head and pressed my forehead to the ground.

Lily threw her head back and laughed. She stood over me, looking down.

"Since you're being so good, you can have it back."

The next second, she opened her hand.

The necklace slipped from her fingers and dropped straight into the flames.

"NO —"

I watched my mother's last gift turn to ash.

Something inside me snapped. I stood up and slapped her across the face.

"You little bitch — you dare to hit me?!"

Lily clutched her cheek and screamed. "What are you all standing around for? Hold her down! I'll give ten grand to whoever helps me teach this whore a lesson!"

The mention of cash got them moving. They came at me.

Three or four of them pinned me to the floor and twisted my arms behind my back.

Lily crouched down, grabbed my chin, and gave me a cold smile.

"You hit me? Today I'm going to teach you what happens when you forget your place."

She stood up and grabbed a fruit knife off the coffee table.

"You like getting in my face so much. Let's see how confident you are after I open up your cheeks."

When I saw the blade, my blood went cold. "Are you insane?"

Even her friends recoiled. "Lily, you're not actually going to —"

"What's the big deal? She's just a maid."

Lily crouched in front of me with the knife. The point pressed against my cheek.

The cold metal stung my skin.

"Got nothing to say now? In this estate, my word is law."

"Lily. You're going to regret this."

I struggled against the hands holding me, forcing each word through my teeth.

The room burst out laughing, like I'd just told the funniest joke in the world.

"Regret? Mrs. Hayes is a millionaire. Who the hell are you?"

"You're a hired cook. Just take your punishment."

Lily pressed harder. Pain spread through my cheek.

She gave me an icy smile. "Regret? I've never regretted anything in my life. I'd love to see you try. You wanted to play the victim and earn my mom's pity, didn't you? I'll cut your face up so badly you won't be able to fake it anymore."

She started to push the blade in —

— and the doors flew open as a fleet of black Lincoln town cars came roaring up the drive.