ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED TO A MAD BILLIONAIRE-Chapter 47: POISON IN PEARLS

"If someone can’t do their job well, they deserve to be fired," Treadwell said coldly, his tone firm like a gavel striking down.

"But why are you asking us this?" Willy asked, puzzled.

Abby gave a small sigh, her eyes flicking away. "Oh, never mind. I don’t want to bother you with my complaints again. You said you were tired. Maybe next time." She smiled lightly, but the glint in her eyes betrayed her real intention.

The three men perked up immediately. They were known in the estate for their appetite for gossip, and Abby knew exactly how to bait them.

"Eh? No no, Mrs. Peterson, you can’t stop halfway. If you start, you must finish," Timothy insisted eagerly.

Abby didn’t reply, only turned to look at the woman beside her. May stepped forward, her expression calm yet full of hidden thorns.

"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m Maybelline Willard... the mother of your new mistress. The wife of Mr. Osvaldo Adkins."

"You mean... Mrs. Adkins?" Willy’s eyes widened in disbelief. Now that he looked closely, he could see it, the nose, the eyes, this woman really was Penny’s mother. She looked so much like Penny.

All three men quickly bowed.

"Welcome, beautiful Mrs. Willard. It’s an honor to meet the mother of our mistress," they said together.

But May’s lips curled into a smile that never reached her eyes. That greeting? She hated it. Hated being tied to that cursed, useless, fat girl.

Respect? For giving birth to Penny?

It was laughable.

But if pretending to care was the only way to get rid of Penny, then so be it.

Let them think she was here out of concern. In time, they’d all see the truth. The same truth she had always known. That Penny was nothing but a stain on the family name. The stain she would have cleaned long ago.

Why wait for them to figure it out on their own?

She would help them see now.

"Thank you," May said softly. "But it seems you know very little about my daughter. Allow me to enlighten you."

She leaned in, lowering her voice like she was sharing a dark secret. "There are things you should know about your new mistress. Things that might help you protect your master... from her." May whispered and all three men stared between themselves.

What did she mean?

Abby stepped forward again, her voice low but intense.

"I was wrong Mr Timothy. That girl... she’s dangerous. To all of us. And to Osvaldo."

Treadwell frowned. "How so, Mrs. Peterson? Master Osvaldo seemed perfectly well today," he said. He had thought they would say Penny was some serial killer or a demon. But he doubts even the devil can kill his master at this point.

Abby laughed bitterly. "Oh, is that what you think? That girl can’t even control him. Look at this." She pulled up her sleeve.

A dark purple bruise marked her pale skin.

"This is what I got last night... from him. She’s using him like a wild dog on a leash, sending him to bite whoever she doesn’t like."

She lifted the hem of her dress slightly to reveal more bruises, proof of her suffering.

"She’s not helping him heal," Abby continued, voice trembling now. "She’s turning him into a weapon. And we are just the beginning."

"You all should have been here last night. She made her husband chase us around, peeing and spitting on us." May added.

"Please don’t give her the golden contract yet. Like you said, if anyone cannot do their jobs, they should get fired.

We need to be sure she can handle Osvaldo first before we let her be a part of the family Timothy." Abby added.

"If not for anything, for the sake of our friendship." Timothy wanted to tell the woman it was too late to demand that, but he remembered Penny asked him not to tell anyone.

"I don’t know how much truth lies in your version of events," Treadwell said, tone clipped and professional. "But let me be clear, Miss Penny will not be cast aside unless she harms our master. If Mr. Osvaldo is thriving, then she stays. That is non-negotiable."

The sharpness of his words caused both women to still, their expressions twisting just slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"Your little injuries mean nothing to us. Know you place and stay out of our masters way." Willy said.

All three men knew it wasn’t a concern for Osvaldo that fueled them. It was control. And Penny had disrupted the balance.

Maybelline’s polite mask didn’t slip, but her voice grew colder. "You’re putting too much faith in a girl who doesn’t understand the rules of this family. She’s... Ugly, unpolished... smelly."

"Aren’t you all just hired Lawyers, how dare you speak to the lady of the house in such a manner?" She raised her chin staring at them with a frown.

All three men looked between her and Abby, they opened their mouths to speak but Abby cut in.

"May dear, don’t waste your breath on them. They’re always this way." She placed her hands on her friend’s shoulder but May shoved it off.

"Nonsense. Your husband hired them. They have no right to treat you this way. I will sure say a few words to Gregory to fire you all." She barked expecting them to cower at her feet begging, but they did none of that.

What the hell is going on?

"Mr Timothy, you may think Penny is weak and harmless. But those who look the weakest often cause the deepest cracks. All I’m saying is, don’t wait until the damage is done to act."

"Penny is not even special. I’m sure you’ll be more eager to kick her out when you realize she’s a product of rape." May said calmly.

It made no sense bring it up, but she did anyway. Even if she looks stupid, she was ready to do anything to kick Penny out of the Adkins family for good.

"Would you let such a person soil the Adkins name? That girl is so unfit to be an Adkin." May added.

Usually, when she tells people about who Penny is, they all stay away from her, but these three men didn’t look moved by her words.

"Are you truly Mrs Adkins’s mother?" Willy asked.