Kenneth and Louisa were both taken aback; they had never imagined that Serena could be so crass and rude to the help.
At that time, Clark had just returned home, and to everyone’s surprise, Serena had already started a covert rivalry with Rose.
"Not only did Serena hurl insults, but she also knocked over the flowers I had given to Ms. Rosemary Collins, shattering the vase."
Even now, Edith felt a pang of sadness when recounting the incident because the surprise had been carefully prepared for Rosemary.
"It’s all because of that Martha, always leading Ms. Serena Collins astray, not just brainwashing her, but also the others. She claimed that for the past eighteen years, it was Ms. Serena Collins who was pampered by you, and it was she who was adored to the bone by all five of your sons. With such deep affection, Ms. Serena Collins could make anyone she wanted to leave, just like that, and Martha made
it clear that we should all be siding with Ms. Serena Collins."
"That’s outrageous! Absolutely unconscionable!" Louisa exclaimed, infuriated by the thought of Martha
being such a troublemaker, stirring the pot wherever she went, "We let her off too easily back then. Had I known, I would have never let her go so lightly."
She would have made sure Martha paid dearly for her actions!
Kenneth patted her back, trying to soothe her, "Don’t let it get to you; let Edith continue."
If it hadn’t been for Edith spilling the beans, they would have remained oblivious to the true faces of Martha and Serena.
"I even tried to warn Serena not to be led astray by Martha, but I guess she didn’t take my words to heart. Ms. Rosemary Collins is truly kind-hearted. She noticed I was looking pale and gave me some
tonics to boost my energy. She even told me to come directly to her if I needed anything, promising to help me out. Everyone was praising Ms. Rosemary Collins because she genuinely helped us a lot, teaching us how to dress, how to get rid of acne, and how to improve our skin. But when Martha and Serena overheard this, Martha accused Ms. Rosemary Collins of winning our support, wondering why we didn’t regard Ms. Serena Collins with the same esteem."
"That’s utterly malicious!" Kenneth slammed his fist on the table, regretting ever leaving Martha by Serena’s side. With such a twisted mind, how could she possibly raise a child properly!
"Exactly, we all tried to explain that it was us who sought advice from Ms. Rosemary Collins, that she had nothing to do with it, that she wasn’t buying us off. But Martha kept whispering to Ms. Serena Collins
that because she didn’t give us presents, we were always singing Ms. Rosemary Collins’ praises behind her back, implying that Ms. Serena Collins was stingy."
Kenneth and Louisa were almost beside themselves with rage, unable to believe that the outwardly sweet and approachable Martha could be such a gossip behind their backs!
"Martha even went as far as to say that what Ms. Rosemary Collins gave us was worthless junk, not even fit for display, and that Ms. Serena Collins would be embarrassed to give us such things," Edith’s voice was tinged with anger as she spoke.
For them, it was the thought behind Ms. Rosemary Collins’ gifts that mattered, not someone else’s unsolicited opinion.
That Martha was detestable! She did nothing but disparage others!
For eighteen years, Martha had been receiving gifts from Serena, yet Edith and the other servants were chastised just for accepting some medicine, coffee beans and teas from Ms. Rosemary Collins.
Thinking about it now still made her blood boil.
"But of course, Ms. Serena Collins was in cahoots with Martha. Every time Martha picked a fight with me, Ms. Serena’s knee-jerk reaction was to insist that I apologize, claiming I was disrespecting her
Louisa was appalled that such bullying could occur within the Collins family.
Kenneth was equally shocked, having never heard of such incidents happening right under his nose.
"And they didn’t stop there. They threw Doris’ skincare products into the trash. They blatantly admitted it to Doris, asking her what she was going to do about it. That’s why Ms. Rosemary Collins wanted to fire them, and do you know why she called you before doing so?" Edith inquired.
"Why?"
"Because they were so full of themselves, claiming that only Mr. and Mrs. Collins had the authority to fire them, not Ms. Rosemary Collins."
Louisa was livid with rage, never expecting that the staff would become so insolent.
"This won’t do." Louisa couldn’t stand it any longer. She took out her smartphone and gave the orders,
"Those who used to work here - Sarah, Liz, and Martha - have someone teach them a lesson. From now on, they’re blacklisted in the industry. No one is allowed to hire them, or else they’ll be crossing the Collins family!"
Seeing Louisa angrily ending the call, Edith quickly brought over a bowl of soup, "Mrs. Collins, please calm down. It all happened so long ago, and I wouldn’t have dared to speak up if you hadn’t asked.
This is also why I was so relieved when Serena was sent to the next building for reflection. Ms. Rosemary Collins really endured a lot in the past six months!"
Even though Serena and Martha never got the better of Rosemary, just the sight of their arrogant demeanor made Edith feel disgusted.

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