Emily looked up, forcing a smile.
“It’s nothing, sweetheart. Just a scratch.”
Vanessa narrowed her eyes. “That’s an odd level of closeness.”
Michael intervened. “Since everyone’s here, let’s be clear. This is Emily, our employee. And you’re the candidates.”
The women introduced themselves proudly: Vanessa, from an old New York family; Olivia, a model and influencer who had lived in Paris; Katherine Reynolds, a corporate lawyer; Dr. Melissa Grant, a dermatologist with a private clinic; and Laura Bennett, an architect.
Throughout it all, they treated Emily as if she didn’t exist.
“You’ll all stay here for thirty days,” Michael explained. “At the end, Noah will decide who he wants me to marry.”
“And the maid?” Vanessa asked.
“She stays,” Michael replied. “Emily has worked here for months.”
Olivia exchanged a glance with Katherine. “We just hope she understands her position.”
Noah grabbed Emily’s hand. “Em, come see the drawing I made.”
“She needs to clean up her mess first,” Melissa snapped.
“It’s okay,” Emily said softly. “I’ll come after.”
Vanessa watched closely. “Interesting.”
That afternoon, the five women gathered on the patio, comparing gifts—tablets, luxury trips, elite schools, room renovations.
Noah appeared politely, thanking them without enthusiasm.
Then Emily arrived with juice and cinnamon cookies. Noah’s face lit up.
“You made these?”
“I did. And I brought origami paper.”
The women watched in silence as his joy was unmistakable.
That night, they met again.
“This situation with the maid is unacceptable,” Vanessa whispered.
“He’s too attached,” Laura agreed.
“It’s inappropriate,” Katherine said.
“He needs to learn hierarchy,” Melissa added.
“And she needs a lesson,” Vanessa concluded.
Michael, meanwhile, couldn’t ignore the change in his son. Noah laughed again, ate again, lived again.
Later, Noah showed him an origami bird.
“She’s patient,” he said. “She never yells.”
“Did you like the ladies?” Michael asked.
“They’re nice… but Emily’s better.”
“Why?”
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