I picked up a durian on my walk home. I'd barely cracked it open when the nanny locked her eyes on me.

「Aunt Eleanor Lambert, have a piece.」

I held out the biggest, meatiest chunk. Eleanor didn't take it. Instead she shot me a cutting look.

「I'm not greedy like you.」

Well, if she didn't want any, I'd enjoy it myself.

The second I popped the last piece into my mouth, Eleanor let out a shriek.

「Oh my God! That fruit costs a fortune and you ate the whole thing! You didn't even save any for the elders in this house or your own husband. You have no manners!」

「I hope you choke on it!」

I froze.

Murray Roy didn't even eat durian. And his parents had passed away years ago. There were no elders in this house.

Eleanor was a nanny. She'd been here one year longer than me, and somehow she'd promoted herself to mother-in-law.

——

「Aunt Eleanor, Murray doesn't touch durian. There's no point saving him any. And I offered you some just now. You said no.」

「Just because I said no doesn't mean you shouldn't save me some! You're so selfish, you never think of anyone but yourself!」

That set me off：「Aunt Eleanor, if you wanted some, you could've bought your own. I asked you, you turned me down. That's on you.」

Eleanor said nothing, but she gave me another one of those venomous looks.

I wanted to say more, but she'd already headed off to start dinner. I let it go. Not worth the hassle.

That evening, the moment Murray walked through the door, Eleanor darted past me to get to him first.

「Murray, welcome home! Here, let Auntie take your coat.」

「I made your favorite garlic butter shrimp tonight. Make sure you eat plenty.」

Eleanor was all smiles whenever she faced Murray.

With me it was either a glare or a sneer. A blank expression was the best I ever got.

At the dinner table, Eleanor picked up a shrimp with her chopsticks and placed it in Murray's bowl.

「Murray, your wife bought a huge durian today and ate every last bit by herself.」

Murray peeled the shrimp and dropped it into my bowl：「Want more? I'll pick some up on my way home tomorrow.」

I popped the shrimp into my mouth：「Yes. Get two. The big ones.」

Eleanor slammed her chopsticks down：「You spoil her too much!」

「Murray, I don't mean to overstep, but that's not how you treat a wife.」

「You've turned her lazy and greedy. She doesn't roll out of bed until noon, doesn't work, doesn't lift a finger around the house, and she can't even share her food!」

「She's supposed to be a wife, not a princess!」

Murray smiled：「Aunt Eleanor, my wife is a princess.」

Eleanor was livid. She opened her mouth to fire back, but I beat her to it.

「Aunt Eleanor, just do your job. Everything else is none of your concern.」

「You say I'm lazy, you say I'm greedy. Fine, I won't deny it. My husband takes care of me. I'm lucky like that. Jealous?」

Eleanor's face went green：「Keep gloating. He'll dump you sooner or later!」

I set my chopsticks down：「Aunt Eleanor, I'm trying not to be rude, but do you remember what you're here for?」

Murray's expression hardened：「Aunt Eleanor, the way you talk to Sophia Simmons is out of line. And however she lives her life, I don't have a problem with it. You're overstepping.」

That finally reined Eleanor in：「Murray, I'm only looking out for you. I just thought I'd help you keep your wife in check.」

「Aunt Eleanor, that won't be necessary.」

Eleanor shot me one last withering glare, then kept quiet.

That night, lying in bed, the more I replayed the day the angrier I got.

「Honey, let's replace her.」

Murray let out a long breath：「When I'm back from my business trip, I'll sit down with Aunt Eleanor and have a talk. If she can't change, we'll find someone new.」

「She does a decent job with the housework. There's no guarantee the next one would be any better.」

I thought it over, decided he had a point, and nodded in agreement.

The next morning, Murray grabbed his suitcase and left before dawn.

I half-registered the sound, rolled over, and tried to fall back asleep.

Before I could drift off, patriotic music blared from the living room.

Each verse louder than the last, the vocals piercing through the walls.

There was no sleeping through it.

I checked the time. Five in the morning.

「Eleanor, it's the crack of dawn! Can I not sleep?」

Eleanor was dragging a mop across the living room floor at a leisurely pace.：「I'm already up doing housework. You really have the nerve to still be in bed?」

「While Murray's away, I'm going to teach you some proper manners.」

I was so angry I actually laughed.

「Eleanor, you're going to teach me manners? Remind me, which one of us is the employer here?」

Eleanor folded her arms across her chest.：「I'm practically Murray's mother. You don't measure up as a wife, so of course I need to set you straight.」

「From now on, when I get up, you get up. I'll teach you how to cook and clean. These chores are your responsibility going forward.」

「If I'm cooking and cleaning, then what exactly am I paying you for?」

「My job is to take care of Murray. I'm getting old. The dirty, tiring work should fall to you. You're a grown woman. It's time you acted like one.」

「If you can't handle the job, then you're done. You can pack your things and leave right now. I'll calculate your wages and wire them to you.」

I turned off the music on her phone.：「If you disturb my sleep one more time, I'm calling Premier Home Services to file a complaint!」

I went back to my room. A little while later, I heard the front door open and close. I assumed Eleanor had taken the hint and left.

I drifted in and out of sleep, not sure how long it had been, when someone barged into my bedroom.

「Mom, I want this room!」

I jolted awake, sitting bolt upright in bed.

「Who are you? How did you get in here?」

Eleanor trailed in behind her.：「Not this one, sweetie. This is Murray's room.」

「Then that's all the more reason I should have it!」

「Patience, sweetheart. It'll be yours eventually. For now, take the guest room.」

I swung my legs off the bed.：「Eleanor, didn't I just fire you? Who is this woman, and who gave you permission to bring her into my home?」

「This is my daughter. She's living here from now on.」

Without waiting for a response, she hauled the girl's luggage into the room.

「I never agreed to let her stay. Eleanor, you are out of line!」

「Where are your manners? You don't even call me 'Aunt' anymore. No upbringing whatsoever!」

I was done arguing with her. I picked up my phone and called the housekeeping agency directly.

「Hello, is this Premier Home Services? Your full-time nanny Eleanor Lambert brought her daughter to live in my home without my consent. I want her removed immediately.」

「I'm sorry, Mrs. Simmons, but Eleanor is no longer employed with our agency.」

「Save your breath. I left the agency a while ago. I'm freelance now. You want to report me? Good luck with that.」

I hung up.

「Fine. Then I won't report you. I'll fire you myself. Take your daughter and get out of my house. Now.」

「You? Fire me? You don't sign my paychecks! Besides, this is Murray's house. I'll bring whoever I want to live here, and there's not a thing you can do about it!」

「If you don't like it, you're the one who can move out!」

「Have you lost your mind, or have I? This is my home. Why on earth would I leave?」

「Fine. You say I can't fire you? Then I'll call Murray.」

The call had barely connected and I'd only gotten out a single "hello" before Eleanor snatched the phone right out of my hand.

「Murray, sweetie, your wife is trying to throw me out!」

Eleanor wailed into the phone, crying as she spoke.

「All I did was ask if Meg could stay here for a few days, and your wife threw a fit. She was smashing things, screaming at me, calling me every name in the book!」

「She even tried to fire me and throw us both out on the street! Murray, sweetheart, you know how hard things have been for me. Please don't let her fire me. I'm begging you on my knees.」

I heard Murray say:

「Don't worry, Aunt Eleanor. I'm not firing you. Put Sophia on the phone. Let me talk to her.」

Eleanor made a show of handing me the phone. Before my fingers even touched it, she hurled it at the floor.

And then she had the nerve to gasp：「Oh my God, why did you throw the phone?!」

The classic thief crying "thief." She played it like a pro.

Eleanor looked at me, triumph smeared across her face：「Murray said he's not firing me. He also said Meg is welcome to stay as long as she wants!」

I picked up the phone. The screen was shattered beyond use.

「This was a brand-new phone. Top-of-the-line. Ten thousand dollars. How are you planning to pay me back?」

「A crappy phone worth ten thousand dollars? What a scam! Besides, who saw me break it? Meg, did you see me break it?」

「I saw her throw it herself. She's trying to shake us down!」

「Fine. You want to play dirty? I'm calling the police.」

Eleanor's expression didn't waver：「Call them with what? Your phone's smashed. I'd love to see you try.」

I grabbed my coat and walked out the door.

The police station wasn't far. If I had to, I'd walk there myself.

Eleanor and Meg chased after me.

「You stop right there!」

They followed me into the elevator. Eleanor wouldn't stop running her mouth, her voice drilling into my ear the entire ride down.

「You're really calling the cops over something this petty? I should be the one filing a report for you trying to extort us! You're the one playing victim here!」

She grabbed my wrist and yanked：「Come on. We're going back upstairs.」

The elevator doors opened on the ground floor. I wrenched free of her grip.

They chased me out into the courtyard, where a group of older women happened to be on their evening walk, heading straight toward us.

Eleanor suddenly wailed behind me：「Sophia, I'm begging you! Are you not going to stop until you've driven me and my daughter to our graves?!」

The women rushed over to Eleanor immediately.

「Oh, Eleanor, honey, what happened to you?!」

I turned around. Eleanor and Meg were both on their knees behind me.

One of the women grabbed my arm：「Don't you walk away!」

「Eleanor, don't be scared. Tell us what's going on. We've got your back.」

Eleanor sobbed, snot and tears streaming down her face.

「Sophia didn't want Meg staying here, so she hit me and screamed at me and tried to fire me. Meg tried to protect me, and there was a little scuffle, and Sophia's phone fell and broke.」

「Now she's demanding we pay her a hundred thousand dollars, and if we don't, she'll call the police and have us thrown in jail!」

The women closed in around me.

「What kind of person are you? You already stole Meg's boyfriend. Now you want to fire her mother too? There's a limit to how rotten a person can be. Karma's going to catch up with you!」

「Exactly! Poor Eleanor has had it so hard. Her daughter was about to get married and this one swooped in and snatched the groom. And on top of that, Eleanor has to work as a maid for the other woman just to make ends meet, getting screamed at and smacked around every day. Now she's being extorted too!」

They crowded around me, all talking at once, flecks of spit landing on my face. My stomach turned.

「You don't know what you're talking about! I'm not the other woman!」

Eleanor stayed on her knees, refusing to get up：「Sophia, before you came along, Murray was my daughter's boyfriend!」

「You're the one who played your little tricks and forced him to marry you!」