After My Parents Died, My Aunt Took Their Money and Gave Me Away – 20 Years Later, I Got Hired as Her Housekeeper

One afternoon, she poured herself a glass of wine and sat at the vanity, talking as I dusted the picture frames behind her.

"I'm hosting another luncheon," she said. "The mayor's wife adores me. She says I have the most refined home in the neighborhood."

I murmured something polite and dusted the picture frame behind her that showed a younger Diane standing beside another woman, my mother. I paused, pretending to wipe the glass.

Diane followed my gaze. Her expression softened for the briefest moment before she sighed.

"I had a niece once," she said suddenly. "My sister's child. Poor thing. Her parents died young, and I tried to raise her, but she was impossible. Wild, ungrateful. I did everything for her, and she just… turned on me."

My hand froze mid-dust.

"You had a niece?" I asked, keeping my tone neutral.

"Had," she said with a sigh. "Lost track of her years ago. Sometimes, family just… disappoints you."

I swallowed hard. "That must've been difficult."

"It was," she said, swirling her wine. "Some people just don't appreciate sacrifice."

I smiled tightly and turned away before she could see the look in my eyes.

With each visit after that, I learned something new about her, like how she bragged about her husband's business contacts, how she talked down to waitstaff, and how she never lifted a finger in her own house.

Everything about her was a performance, but the cracks were starting to show.