âAlso, Ms. Marshâs menstrual cycle is normal. Her period ended two days earlier, but Ms. Gianna told me to inform you that Ms.
Marsh has hormonal imbalances and missed her period.â
Giannaâs face fell, and she exploded in anger, âWhat nonsenseââ
Wyatt shot her a warning look, and she recoiled a few steps, swallowing the rest of the sentence.
âAnything else?â
âYes.â Heidi continued in a fit of sobbing, âOnce Ms. Marsh came down with a fever, a very high fever. I wanted to phone you, but Ms. Gianna told me not to bother you. I suggested calling a doctor, which she didnât allow either.
âMs. Gianna assigned me the task of leaving Ms. Marshâs meals at her door so she can get them herself. Itâs not that Ms. Marsh is a picky eater but that Ms. Gianna told us to limit her servings. She pays us whenever we follow her orders and physically and verbally abuses us if we donât, claiming that sheâs the mistress of the house and that we must obey her.â
Wyatt maintained an expressionless face, but inwardly, he was overcome with the urge to strangle Gianna.
âAre you the only one working for her?â he questioned.
âHer, her, and her. They are under Ms. Giannaâs payroll too.â Heidi pointed at a few housekeepers. âWe all take turns bringing Ms. Marsh food.â
Gianna raced over and tried to defend herself. âSheâs falsely accusing me, Mr. Lopez! I have no ill will against Ms. Marsh and would never harm her. Theyâre all conspiring against me!â
âYou have to believe me, Mr. Lopez! Iâm innocent!â She raised three fingers. âI swear on my entire family that I didnât do any of the things they accuse me of!â
Wyatt patted her cheek and smiled. âI never said I didnât believe you. Why are you in such a hurry to swear an oath? The housekeepers did it, after all, and you only verbally abetted them. What good would it do to swear?â
He had seen through Giannaâs ploy, and a chill ran from her toes to the top of her head.
She forced herself to calm down and told herself to insist she was being slandered regardless of what the housekeepers claimed since there were no surveillance cameras.
âWhat Heidi said is true. Ms. Gianna is behind all of this.â
âYes, Mr. Lopez. She beats and scolds us if we donât follow her orders.â
âMr. Lopez, we didnât mean to make things difficult for Ms. Marsh. This is simply Ms. Giannaâs animosity toward Ms. Marsh.â
The housekeepers who were initially afraid of Wyatt began to speak up after Heidi exposed the truth, hoping that he would show them leniency.
Gianna paled and quickly played the victim. âWell, you alleged that I abused all of you and mistreated Ms. Marsh. Whereâs your proof, then? Do you have wounds on your body to prove that I beat you all?â
The housekeepersâ silence bolstered her confidence, and she straightened her spine. âYou donât have concrete evidence, yet you vilify me!â
âWe have proof that you paid us,â one of them said and took out a wad of money from her pocket. âThis is what you gave me the day before yesterday when you asked me to turn off the water heater in Ms. Marshâs room.â
Wyattâs gaze darkened.
Gianna casually barked a laugh. âIâm never more than a phone call away from having someone go grab something for me. I do not need to leave the mansion, so why would I have so much cash on me?â
Anxiety was reflected in the housekeeperâs voice. âYou gave me this money. It has your fingerprints all over it!â
âAll right. Letâs have Mr. Lopez get someone to dust it and see if it has my prints,â Gianna said confidently, not at all worried.
Fortunately, I consider skin contact with the housekeepers to be filthy and would always wear gloves when handing them money.
God must be on my side!
The housekeepers couldnât argue with Gianna, and their eyes started to redden in frustration when they realized the mansion didnât have surveillance cameras.
Gianna chuckled smugly and said in a plaintive voice, âLook, Mr. Lopez, they are dragging my name through the mud, accusing me of mistreating them and Ms. Marsh. You have to seek justice for me!â
In response, Wyatt tipped his head up and gazed at the luxurious chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
A few beats later, he turned to a housekeeper and instructed, âGet a ladder and take out the object inside.â
There was a switch in Giannaâs expression, and her panicked gaze flew to the chandelier. Her heart started pounding when she couldnât see anything amiss amid the glittering lights.
Two housekeepers carried over the ladder and propped it under the chandelier.
One of them climbed up, removed a black box from within, and handed it to Wyatt.
He nonchalantly fiddled with the black box and waited for a housekeeper to bring over a laptop before plugging it in. The screen displayed the surveillance footage of the foyer after a few clicks.
He rewinded to the first day Gianna arrived and turned up the volume. The footage started playing, showing Jessica heading downstairs to prepare food but passing out in the kitchen before Gianna began ordering the housekeepers about. It then showed Gianna inviting her friends over for card games, Heidi hurrying downstairs to call Wyatt but being stopped by Gianna, her conversation with her friends during the card game, and them advising her to buy expired food for Jessica. The scene where Gianna ordered Heidi to take the contraceptive pill from her room to add into the milk was also projected for all to see.
Wyatt saw red. He had been completely unaware of the full extent of abuse Jessica had endured while he wasnât around.
No wonder she lost weight. It isnât because she was finicky, but because the housekeepers were limiting her meals and giving her unnutritious foods. She was confined to the third floor and couldnât come downstairs either after the instructions I left to the housekeepers.
Gianna had no idea there would be a surveillance camera hidden in the chandelier, and she was horrified at how the situation was unfolding.
Her hands and feet grew cold, and she stammered, âIt was just a momentary lapse of judgment on my part, Mr. Lopez. I was jealous of her and did all thisâAh!â
Wyatt aimed a vicious kick at her and quickly followed to pin her down, wrapping his hands around her neck. He gritted out, âI gave you money, yet you tried to scheme against me and harmed someone who belongs to me!â
His vise grip clamped Giannaâs airway shut, and she clawed at his hands, her feet flailing wildly in the air.
âIâm sorry... M-Mr. Lopez...â
âYour apology means nothing to me!â Wyatt spat out in hatred.
His heart wrenched when he remembered Jessica being underweight. Itâs all my fault for hurting her.
âHeidi, right?â He glanced at the housekeeper still on the floor and asked, âAnswer me honestlyâwhich hand did you use to add the contraceptive pill into the milk?â
âPlease have mercy on me, Mr. Lopez...â
âAnswer me!â
Heidi trembled in fear when he yelled at her. âR-Right hand.â
Wyatt seized Giannaâs right hand and chopped it with the cleaver.
It was a clean cut, with only a little blood on the ground.
A blood-curdling scream escaped Gianna as her body spasmed in pain.
Wyatt tossed the cleaver aside and gave her a hard slap, his stony gaze hardening further. âYou refused the comfortable life of receiving money without doing anything and tried to go against me. Who do you think you are?â
âIâm curious how you will recover from this!â He stood up and told the housekeeper, âBreak her legs and throw her in the landfill.
The rest of you clean up this mess and piss off!â
âYes, Mr. Lopez!â they replied hastily and breathed a sigh of relief.
Wyatt went upstairs and prowled outside the bedroom door, afraid of waking Jessica up and that she would ignore him.