Chapter 55

Kitchen. Summer Knight and Emma Lane were busy inside. Before Alexander Barron woke up, Mrs. Thompson took the chance to show up with her loyal group of maids, all snickering and acting smug. “Oh my, Madam, you’re actually cooking on your own today, huh? Just don’t go crying to the young master later, saying we mistreated you!” “Exactly! Everyone here saw it, okay? Nobody bullied Madam Knight—she wanted to cook herself!” Mrs. Thompson kept her tone low, careful not to cross the line. Everything she said sounded harmless on the surface, just enough to stay out of trouble. That way, not even Mr. Barron would have an excuse to kick her out. She had to stick around until her daughter got to the island—once that happened, the one getting shown the door would be Summer Knight, and she'd be the one climbing her way to the top. Just thinking about it made Mrs. Thompson even more pleased with herself. Their nonstop chatter was getting on Summer's nerves—she couldn’t even concentrate on helping