I found a piece of eggshell in the collagen-rich chicken soup I usually had at breakfast every morning.

I called Lilian over and made her watch as I picked the shell out and placed it on the table. Folding my arms, I stared at her.

"I'm so sorry, Alaina," she mumbled, her face flushing with guilt. She did not dare to meet my gaze. "I'm sorry. It must have fallen in while I was interacting with my live stream audience earlier."

"I'm not unreasonable, Lilian, but we pay you 10,000 dollars every month. That is very generous for someone of your qualifications," I told her. "If you cannot do your job properly while live streaming, maybe it's time to stop streaming altogether."

…

That same evening, Carlos cut his steak elegantly at dinner and asked, "Why aren't you livestreaming today, Lilian?"

His eyes were fixed on Lilian.

"Alaina said my livestreaming is affecting my work," Lilian said softly.

I cleared my throat in irritation.

"I mean, I've decided to stop livestreaming," Lilian corrected herself immediately. "I want to focus on doing my duties properly."

I told her to leave us. Once she was gone, I tentatively said to Carlos, "She's clumsy and careless. Maybe we should consider hiring someone else."

Carlos was a man who barely blinked an eye when he lost million-dollar deals. But right now, he looked visibly nervous. Adjusting his tie, he replied, "Nobody's perfect. Replacing her would just mean more time spent getting a new housekeeper to learn our routines."

He took a sip of his wine. "I think she's fine. There's no need to replace her."

He was the family breadwinner, so he held authority in the household. Since I was a full-time housewife, I could only defer to him.

After showering, Carlos climbed into bed and got ready to sleep.

I positioned myself over him and caressed his face affectionately. "It's been some time since we've… you know," I murmured invitingly.

The warm lighting in the bedroom outlined my curves. I took off my nightgown and pressed closer to him. "Have you forgotten our plans? We were going to try for a baby, remember?"

"I'm too tired from work today," Carlos said coldly, pushing me away. "Maybe another day."

"No! Next time, you'll tell me you have a meeting or something." I wrapped my arms around his shoulder and kissed him lightly. "Let's do it tonight."

Carlos' irritation was evident in his expression. He'd never been like this before. Frowning, he pushed my hands away and got out of bed.

"I'm going to get some water. Wait a bit," he said. Soon, I heard his footsteps echoing as he hurried downstairs.

Ten minutes passed. Carlos did not return.

Half an hour passed, yet he was still nowhere to be seen. I got out of bed, put my nightgown back on, and went downstairs.

Halfway down the stairs, I saw Lilian hastily wrapping herself with a towel. Carlos was holding a glass of water, standing barely three feet away from her.

"What are you two doing?" I yelled, my voice echoing throughout the house.

Lilian looked up and saw me. She flushed immediately and quickly made a knot in her towel. Carlos just stood beside her, unruffled.

"Alaina, I was doing the laundry, and since you had both gone to bed, I took off my clothes and threw them in as well," she stammered. "I didn't expect Mr. Houston to come down for water…"

"So you saw her undressed?" I glared at Carlos. He'd been gone for 30 minutes; who knew how long he had been spying on her!

"I came down to get water and just happened to walk into this," Carlos said, still looking calm.

"It's alright, Lilian. Don't worry about it." He went up to her and patted her on the shoulder. Her towel jiggled noticeably with the movement. Carlos' gaze trailed down.

"That's enough. Go back to bed, all of you!" I snapped, losing my cool. I pulled Carlos away and pointed at Lilian. "And you. From now on, you'll wash your clothes separately! You're not allowed to mix them with ours!"

"Honey, should we buy some baby things?" I asked. "We'll need them eventually when we have a baby."

"Hmm? Sure, whatever you want," Carlos replied distractedly.

Lilian was on tiptoes as she wiped down the cupboards. Her skirt had ridden up slightly, revealing her toned legs. Carlos' gaze was glued to her.

"Alright. I'll go shopping today and redecorate the house a bit in the afternoon," I said.

I bought several baby monitors and installed them in every corner of the house. This way, even if I wasn't home, I could still monitor everything they did.

The next day, I dragged a suitcase out in full view in front of both of them and said, "My friends invited me out on a trip. I won't be back until tomorrow night."

"That's so sudden. You're just leaving like that?" Carlos glanced at Lilian fleetingly as he feigned disappointment.

"My best friend just came back from another city. Right, I have to go now, or I'll miss the train," I said.

I took my suitcase and left the house. I even drove my car out, only to check into a nearby hotel.

As soon as I checked in, I opened the surveillance app on my phone that was connected to the baby monitors.

Carlos was working on his computer while Lilian was nearby, dressed in what looked like my lace lingerie.

She had an apron tied loosely over the lingerie and was using a small vacuum to dust the shelves. Unsubtly, she moved the vacuum closer to her. The apron was sucked away suddenly, revealing her half-undressed body.

"Oh no, Mr. Houston! My apron was sucked away!"

Carlos stared at her blankly, swallowing hard.

Lilian approached him. "I'm just a simple girl from a poor village, Mr. Houston. I've never had the chance to enjoy fancy things. I wonder what this expensive tea tastes like."

Carlos had a cup of his fancy, expensive tea on the table, with the teabag still in it.

She reached out and pulled the teabag out of the cup. Bringing it to her lips, she sucked on it seductively.

"You…" Carlos' eyes darted around nervously as he loosened his collar.

"Oh, it's so sweet." Lilian smiled at him sweetly. Her lips were glistening from the tea. "Mr. Houston, would you like some sweet treats? I can bring you some cake."

Before Carlos could answer her, Lilian turned and went into the kitchen. A short while later, she returned with a small plate of cake.

"Oh, I see that you're busy," Lilian said, glancing at Carlos' computer screen. "That's alright. I'll feed you."

She picked up a forkful of cake and leaned in to offer it to him.

Staring straight into her eyes, Carlos opened his mouth and took a bite.

"Have some of the cream… Oops, it fell."

A dollop of cream fell off the fork and landed on Lilian's chest.

"Uh… You should wipe it off," Carlos said.

"Mr. Houston, I made this cake with the finest ingredients. It would be such a waste to just wipe it off," Lilian said.

"Then what do you want to do?" Carlos stared at her.

"Clean it up with your mouth."