Chapter 15

Martha's eyes flickered for a moment. Serena caught it and shouted, "Tell me the truth!" Martha shrank back and said, "Yes, it wasn't fake blood." Serena's head was buzzing as she demanded aggressively, "Why did you lie to me?" Martha hunched her shoulders and said quietly, "It was... It was Mr. Cole who told me to say that." Serena stepped back as if she couldn't handle this blow on top of everything else. She took another step back, leaning against the wall. She said with difficulty, "He told you to lie to me, and you just listened to him?" Martha kept her head down, her voice barely audible. "But Ms. Arden, you were constantly yelling at Mr. Hutchinson because of Mr. Cole. The day Mr. Cole first arrived, when Paula accidentally spilled tea on him, you fired Paula despite Mr. Hutchinson trying to stop you. "I don't dare disobey Mr. Cole's orders. If Mr. Cole said he didn't like my cooking, I'd probably get fired too..." Serena looked incredulous. "How is that possible?" Mar