Beneath Her Gilded Mask

Calista was crouching to wipe the floor when her eyes caught something glaringly out of place in the corner of the sofa. Instinctively, she reached out and picked it up. To her surprise, it was a pair of lace-trimmed panties, adorned with pearls. The style was bold, clearly not hers. Her mind raced with thoughts of the tangled web of relationships in high society. Just as she was about to slip it back where she found it, the sharp click of high heels echoed from the stairs. Molina, the lady of the house, slowly descended the stairs, her eyes scanning the room before casually landing on the panties in Calista's hand, only to quickly flicker away. She moved to the center of the living room, adjusted her expensive silk robe as if nothing were out of the ordinary, and asked, "Calista, how long have you worked here?" Calista's heart skipped a beat. She knew Molina too well, and that question defintely was not just a casual small talk. Her fingers brushed over the fabric in her hand, and it clicked—Molina was just testing her! Quickly regaining her composure, Calista answered in a steady tone, "Madam, I've been here for four months and three days." Molina nodded slightly, moving to the sofa and taking a sip of coffee from the table, but her eyes never fully landed on Calista. "Four months, huh? Time really flies. How have you been settling in here?" The question only confirmed that Molina was fishing for something, and Calista knew she had to keep her cool. She subtly tucked the panties behind her back and bowed her head with respect. "I'm very grateful to you and Mr. Reeves for your care. I've been doing my best to carry out my duties." A sly, almost predatory smile tugged at Molina's lips. "That's good to hear. I've always trusted you," she said, her voice light but with an underlying tension. Then, with a sudden shift, she snapped, "But today... I'm not in the best of moods." She raised her voice and shot Calista a sharp gaze. "Do you know why?" Calista's mind screamed for alert, but she kept her face calm. "Madam, I'm not sure. Has something happened that's troubling you?" Without warning, Molina lunged forward, her finger stabbing toward Calista. "Don't play dumb with me! I've been kind enough to hire you as a nanny, and you're trying to seduce my husband. You think you can keep what you're hiding from me?" Before Calista could react, Molina stormed over and roughly snatched the panties from her hand. "Well, well, what’s this?" Molina lifted the panties high, her face twisted in fury. "This is the underwear of a w***e trying to seduce a man!" With a vicious swing, Molina whipped the panties through the air, slapping them hard across Calista's face, leaving a red mark on her delicate skin. Calista stood straight, her gaze coldly fixed on the panties, but inside, she couldn't help but laugh to herself. 'This is Molina's game, her own doing. And now she's trying to pin it on me? She's really disgusting!' complained Calista. But she couldn't lose it—not now, not when she still needed this job. Calista raised her head slowly to meet Molina's glare with a chill in her eyes, and she replied flatly, "Madam, it's not mine. I only just found it on the sofa." "Oh, you're still denying it?" Molina took a step closer, her finger nearly poking Calista in the face. "You think I don't know what you're up to? You're just eyeing my husband's money and power, trying to work your way up, aren't you?" Calista slightly moved her body to dodge the invasive finger. But as her gaze flickered to the door, she paused. Before she could react, a deep, commanding voice boomed from behind her. "Molina, what the hell are you doing?" Ellet, the master of the house, strode down the hallway, his eyes flashing with irritation, his lips pressed into a thin, hard line. Both women could see that the man was furious! Ellet stormed between them, his tall figure stepping in front of Calista as if to shield her. His icy gaze was fixed on Molina, and his voice was laced with impatience. "Molina, I've told you a hundred times—this is my election period. Any negative news could tank my campaign. And now, what the hell are you doing? Harassing Calista for no reason, huh? You've already driven out 20 nannies! What exactly do you want?" Molina's eyes widened in disbelief as she screeched, "For no reason? Ellet, you're actually going to question me over a little nanny? Look at what she's been doing!" She grabbed the lace panties from the floor and waved them in Ellet's face. "See? It was found on the sofa! She must have worn it to seduce you while I was away!" Ellet's gaze shifted slowly from the panties to Calista. However, she still stood tall, her neck graceful, her eyes clear and innocent. It was obvious she wasn't the one who'd done anything wrong. Molina, on the other hand, was fuming. Her face flushed with rage, and she kept spitting out venomous words. Her usual composure as the elegant lady of the house had evaporated, replaced by a vicious, unreasonable fury. Ellet's brow furrowed, his expression souring with disgust. "So, just because of a pair of panties, you think she's trying to seduce me? Molina, that's absurd." "Calista's been nothing but doing her job properly. It's you who's been paranoid and causing trouble. Do you know how this looks? If this gets out, what will people say? I can't even control my own wife and let her bully our staff? The negative press could ruin everything. Have you thought about that?" Molina trembled with anger after hearing Ellet's blame, and her face turned from livid to pale. She stormed up to Calista, her voice dripping with venom. "You slut, you're the one trying to destroy my relationship with Ellet!" With a wild swing, Molina raised her right hand, ready to slap Calista across the face. Calista felt like she couldn't dodge it, so she instinctively shut her eyes. Seconds dragged on, but the slap never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw a strong hand gripping Molina's wrist. 'It's him?!' Calista thought, a shock running through her.