Thank goodness he'd brought a few extra security guards today.

You can never truly know what's in a person's heart.

No one had any idea what Elsa was really up to, showing up out of the blue like that.

Gertrude glanced back at Elsa. "Is Catie worried that Elsa will go after the kids?"

Before Carey could answer, Gertrude continued, "She... she wouldn't go that far, would she...?"

After all, they had been friends for nearly eight years.

Gertrude found it hard to believe that Elsa could be vicious enough to target three innocent children.

Carey patted Gertrude's hand. "Gertrude, you can never know what people are thinking. It's not just Jasper, Silas, and Gemma who need to be wary of her. You need to be on your guard, too. When people lose their minds, they're capable of anything."

Especially someone in Elsa's current state.

Gertrude nodded. "Okay, Carey. I understand."

Elsa once again slipped into the residential complex where Gertrude and Louie lived. Hiding near the entrance of their building, she carefully monitored their comings and goings.

After watching the place for an entire day, she realized something.

Gertrude and Louie always drove to work, which meant they primarily used the underground garage.

But a place like the garage was not only packed with security cameras, it was also patrolled around the clock by the building's security.

So trying to kill them in the garage was going to be incredibly difficult.

She needed a new plan.

The next day was Saturday.

Both Gertrude and Louie were off from work.

Louie, hanging laundry out to dry, asked, "Honey, what time is the cleaning lady you booked supposed to arrive?"

Because they were both so busy with work, they had a cleaning service come for a deep clean on the 8th of every month.

Today was the 8th.

"She said she'd be here at two this afternoon," Gertrude replied, currently absorbed in a baking project.

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, the doorbell rang.

Ding-dong-

Gertrude put down the piping bag she was holding and went to answer the door.

She opened it a moment later.

"Hello, Mrs. Cartwright. We're from

Premier Commercial Cleaning

Services. You can call me Vicki," said

ddle-aged woman in a mask

a maido

standing in front. "You booked a deep cleaning service for twop.m., correct?"

"That's right. Please, come in," Gertrude said with a nod.

The woman immediately pulled some disposable shoe covers from her bag. "Effie, put these on."

Effie nodded, took the shoe covers, and bent down to put them on.

Gertrude's gaze fell on Effie, and she asked with a hint of confusion, "Vickr, doesn't your company usually send just one person for cleaning? Why are there two of you today?"

And...

For some reason, although this Effie wore a mask, had bleached blonde hair, and a somewhat dark complexion, Gertrude found her build strangely familiar.

As if she'd seen her somewhere before.

"Oh, this is my new apprentice," Vicki explained. "She'll be taking over this area from now on."

"I see." Gertrude didn't think much more of it and nodded. "Come on in. We've been using the kitchen a lot lately, so why don't you start in there."

"Of course, Mrs. Cartwright."

Vicki and Effie went into the kitchen first.

After cleaning the kitchen, they moved on to the bathroom. As time wore on, Effie, who was busy working, suddenly lowered her voice.

Vicki there isn't much left to do. Didn't you say you had something urgent to take care of at home? Why

don't you head back? I can handle the rest."