The heavy sound of Evelyn's bedroom door slamming shut echoed through the high ceilings of the mansion.
Silence settled over the bright white kitchen, broken only by the soft hum of the refrigerator and the gentle breeze outside.
Clara stood up from the stool, her knees shaking as she wiped another tear from her cheek.
Clara: I... I don't know what to say, Mr. David. I've never seen anyone stand up for me like that before.
David: You don't have to say anything, Clara. You deserved respect, and she treated you like garbage.
Arthur: Excellent work, David. The eviction notice is officially logged with the sheriff's department. If she isn't gone by two o'clock, deputies will handle her removal.
David: Thank you, Arthur. Please wait in the study while I wrap things up here.
Arthur: Of course. Good day, Clara.
Clara: Good day, Mr. Vance.
Arthur walked down the hallway, leaving David and Clara alone in the sunlit kitchen.
David walked over to the sink, turned off the running tap water, and picked up a dry kitchen towel.
David: Clara, I have a proposal for you.
Clara: A proposal, sir?
David: Now that Evelyn is gone, this estate needs someone to officially manage the daily operations, oversee the household staff, and run the property accounts.
Clara: Oh... are you going to hire a professional management company?
David: I don't need a management company. I want to hire you as the full-time Estate House Manager.
Clara gasped, dropping the dish towel she was holding onto the counter.
Clara: Me?! House Manager?! But Mr. David, I'm just a cleaning lady... I don't have a college degree!
David: You have integrity, Clara. You have a good heart, you work harder than anyone I know, and you care about this home.
Clara: But... what about my son? I don't have a full-time babysitter...
David: That's the best part, Clara. The House Manager position comes with private living quarters in the renovated carriage house on the estate grounds. You and your son can live here full-time, rent-free.
Clara covered her mouth with both hands, fresh tears filling her eyes—this time, tears of pure joy and relief.
Clara: Rent-free? Live on the grounds?
David: Plus a salary of seventy-five thousand dollars a year, full health insurance benefits, and a budget for private childcare so you never have to carry your son on your back while working again.
Clara: Seventy-five thousand dollars... Mr. David, that would change my entire life! My son would have a safe home, good food, a future!
David: You earned it, Clara. By being an honest, hardworking mother in a house full of greed.
Clara: I don't even know how to thank you... I promise I will manage this house with everything I have!
David: You don't need to thank me, Clara. Just go check on your baby, take the rest of the day off, and let me handle the moving trucks.