That’s when pieces started to fall into their places. Besides Mandy's suspicious behavior, her surname — Motley, which is the same as Astrid's — also solidified my hunch.
Floyd's POV
Moreover, our driver’s last name was also Motley. What were the odds? Was this all just a coincidence? I recalled that both the driver and the housekeeper were hired by my wife, Rhea. She claimed they were distant relatives of hers and assured me they were trustworthy.
Still, I wanted to install security cameras in the house, but Rhea insisted it would invade our privacy. She refused. Now, without any footage, I had to find the truth another way.
Then I remembered something else. Rhea once asked me for a credit card. I assumed it was for her personal use, so I didn’t question it. But just a few days ago, I noticed a huge charge — someone had bought an LV handbag. At first, I thought it was Rhea. But the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Rhea wasn’t into that brand.
Curious, I opened my banking app and checked the transaction history. But my heart sank upon seeing it.
In just one month, nearly 30,000 dollars had been spent on that card.
I called one of the stores to ask about the purchase, and what I heard made my blood boil. The clerk told me the buyer was a young girl, about fifteen, with a mole on her face.
It was Astrid.
The clerk also told me she was very generous at that time as she even treated each of her two friends who traveled with her with bags.
Fighting to stay calm, I checked the dashcam footage from the driver’s car. But as soon as I watched it, the veins on the back of my hand bulged with rage.
The driver was supposed to take Zera to school every day. But the footage showed him only ever driving Astrid.
Where was Zera? How did she get to school?
I needed answers. I stormed outside to confront Astrid but ran into someone unexpected — Carter Johnson, our part-time gardener and a distant relative of mine — a trustworthy man.
He only came by a few times a month to tend to the garden, but I paid him a full salary regardless. He was always hardworking, occasionally helping around the house when needed.
I saw surprise in his eyes when he saw me, but it was soon replaced with hesitation.
"Carter," I said, pulling him aside. "You looked like you had something to tell me. What is it?"