Chapter 1 - The USB She Raised From The Floor
Lisa’s scream tore through the nursery before Mason reached the doorway.
The ten-month-old was already crying inside the gold crib when Jiso pressed the hot iron against her tiny hand.
Monday moved first.
She kicked Jiso’s arm away.
The iron flew across the nursery, struck the wall, and dropped onto a white towel.
The towel began to burn.
“SHE NEEDS TO LEARN,” Jiso snapped.
Monday barely looked at her.
She rushed to the crib and lifted Lisa against her chest.
The baby’s crying weakened almost immediately.
Monday looked at Lisa’s hand.
“Oh my God—Lisa!”
Jiso recovered and slapped Monday hard across the face.
That was the moment Mason entered.
He saw his daughter limp against Monday’s shoulder.
He saw Jiso pointing at the nanny.
And he saw smoke rising from the towel.
Jiso changed her expression instantly.
“She snapped—she hurt the baby!”
Mason didn’t think.
He reacted.
He ripped Lisa from Monday’s arms and held his daughter tightly against his chest.
“What did you do?!”
Monday barely had time to answer.
Mason kicked her in the stomach.
She flew backward into the wooden clothing rack.
Wood cracked beneath her.
Monday landed hard among fallen clothes and splintered pieces.
Jiso stood behind Mason.
Silent.
Watching.
Lisa whimpered weakly against her father.
Then Monday moved.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Her hand disappeared inside her blouse.
When it came back out, she was holding a small USB drive.
“Watch this first.”
Mason froze.
Jiso’s face lost every trace of color.
Mason looked at the USB.
Then at Jiso.
Then up toward the small black security camera mounted above the nursery doorway.
He suddenly remembered something.
Jiso had insisted three weeks earlier that the camera no longer worked.
Too many glitches, she had said.
Too invasive.
She had even told Mason she unplugged the recording hub.
Yet Monday was holding something she had clearly risked getting hurt to protect.
The towel continued burning near the wall.
Lisa made another weak sound.
Reality returned.
Mason immediately moved away from both women, carried his daughter toward the doorway, and shouted for someone downstairs to call 911.
He did not touch Monday again.
He did not confront Jiso again.
He simply stared at her while waiting for help.
Jiso finally whispered, “Mason, she manipulated that footage.”
Monday laughed once from the floor.
Not because anything was funny.
Because Jiso had just told Mason exactly what was on the USB without being asked.
Mason looked down at Lisa.
May you like
Then back at the woman he had trusted inside his home.
For the first time, his anger began moving in the correct direction.
