Chapter 866: The Stand-In Messenger

“What’s with her?”

Penny, sitting on the sofa, glanced at the busy maid and asked with a pointed tone.

Lynch was still watching the TV show. This episode had reached its climax—the protagonist and her grandfather had traveled back in time to save their family dog and thwart the villain’s evil time-traveling scheme.

Upon returning, they accidentally burst into the laundry room where the protagonist’s mother was doing the washing. They ended up diving into the washing machine, soaking wet and looking thoroughly disheveled.

Whether it was part of the script or the actress’s own choice, the protagonist’s white shirt had become somewhat see-through when wet.

Of course, this kind of content wouldn’t even be considered adult in today’s Federation. Since the Great Depression, the standards for adult content had been relaxed to ease the public’s anxiety over mass unemployment.

Previously censored elements were now casually allowed, a move by the government to ease people’s minds—and it had worked brilliantly.

Lynch glanced at the maid, then casually replied, “She doesn’t want to lose this job.”

“That’s it?” Penny raised an eyebrow, surprised and amused. It was just a job—was that kind of effort really necessary?

She barely had to bend over to see the brand of underwear the maid was wearing. Was it really worth going to such lengths for a paycheck?

Penny came from a middle-class family and was considered one of the lucky ones who had achieved the so-called Federal Dream.

She had never worried about things like this growing up. If that effeminate man hadn’t tried to shoot a romantic scene with her, she might not have even gotten involved with Lynch.

She could understand making sacrifices to survive—but to her, living on a few hundred bucks a month and giving up your dignity in the process was absurd. That was just too cheap.

It was hard not to marvel at the massive divide between social classes in the Federation—so wide that many young people had no idea how those below them lived.

And yet, it was for those same few hundred bucks a month that some would sit numbly in a yard, allowing their boyfriend to rape both their daughter and ex-husband’s daughter.

It was also for those few hundred bucks that loveless men and women could form families, have children, and live out their numb, confused lives.

Every brick has its purpose.

Every penny carries weight.

If you’ve never felt the weight of a single penny, it only means you haven’t reached that point in life yet.

To Penny, the maid was just a filthy whore.

She got up from the sofa and walked to the dining room, watching the maid work.

The maid became visibly uneasy at Penny’s presence, keeping her head down and busying herself, clearly trying to avoid any trouble.

She didn’t know what relationship Penny had with Lynch, but it was obviously not a casual one—their natural intimacy made that clear.

More importantly, she recognized Penny.

Many people might not know the name of a federal minister or match their face to their name.

They might not know how many states there were or the name of their own governor.

But very few didn’t know Penny. Since getting involved with Lynch, her agency had gone all out marketing her, and she’d quickly become a nationwide star.

The maid had even liked her once, but being targeted by her was something else entirely.

Shrinking into a corner, her work already done, she hesitated to leave. Penny was still nearby, and she feared being harassed.

If things blew up between the two women, it was obvious who Lynch would side with.

The more she tried to avoid trouble, the more it came to her.

Since the maid wouldn’t come out, Penny went in.

She smacked the maid on the butt—lightly, almost playfully. If the maid had looked at her lips, she would’ve seen Penny mouth the word whore.

“Come with me,” Penny said, crooking her finger and heading upstairs.

The sound of her going upstairs caught Lynch’s attention. He glanced back, and she instantly put on a sweet smile.

As soon as his eyes left her, the smile turned into a smug smirk.

Art really does imitate life sometimes—her ability to shift expressions and manage emotions was truly theatrical.

In the upstairs room, Penny sat on the low stool in front of the vanity, legs crossed, arms folded, expression icy. “Close the door.”

The maid silently turned and shut the door.

“Come here.”

As the maid stepped forward, Penny smacked her on the butt again. “You’re trying to seduce Lynch. You know he has a girlfriend.”

The maid let out a muffled grunt, a red mark already forming on her skin. She bit her lip. “I’m not.”

“You are!” Penny snapped, leaving no room for denial. “You’re trying to seduce him with that slutty little skirt. Don’t tell me you wore that because you were hot.”

“I heard you don’t want to lose this job, so you’re trying to seduce him. But it looks like you failed.”

Penny looked at her like a proud little goose with her neck held high.

The maid’s face turned pale. What little hope she had was gone.

Penny’s presence alone was enough to shatter any plan she’d been holding onto. Competing with Penny? She didn’t even have the right. Nothing she did mattered anymore.

And when people no longer need something, they become stronger.

With her heart already leaning toward quitting, the maid found herself calmer. “You’re wrong. I’ll leave. Tomorrow.”

“Don’t think just because you have money, you can trample on other people’s dignity!”

As she said this, the maid turned to leave, tears welling up in her eyes. She felt deeply wronged.

She hadn’t wanted much—no desire to compete for affection, no ambition for anything grand. She just wanted a stable, easy job that wasn’t too exhausting, and a few hundred bucks a month paid on time. Why did someone have to make her life so difficult?

It was heartbreaking. This wasn’t the outcome she wanted.

Just as she was about to leave to defend her dignity and prove she wouldn’t accept humiliation, Penny suddenly called out to stop her.

“Wait—I might be able to help you.”

The maid hesitated at the doorway, hand already on the knob. All it would take was a pull to prove that even though she was poor, she had pride—dignity that couldn’t be bought.

But for some reason, she found herself wanting to hear what Penny had to say.

Penny looked at her with a mischievous little smirk at the corner of her lips.

Hell, better someone else take the hit than herself. Why should she be the one stepping in when there was a stand-in available?

Besides, this was just the painful part. She had her own role to play too. The maid could handle the dirty work; she’d take care of the pleasant side of things. A perfect arrangement.

Penny had chosen this maid for a reason. First, she was just a maid—no threat, no status. A single word, a little trick, and she’d vanish from Lynch’s side without a trace.

Second, she would always be around. If new competition showed up, Penny would know right away. She’d also hear if anyone was talking behind her back.

She was quite proud of her strategy. Even though she kept telling herself there was no future with Lynch, she still couldn’t bear the thought of giving up without a fight.

She didn’t have many standout qualities compared to her rivals. But she was young, bold, uninhibited—she dared to play, and that was her advantage.

As the maid walked slowly toward her, Penny reached out and touched her again, this time with a bit of dissatisfaction.

Damn it—way more curvy than me!

She gave a sharp squeeze. The maid winced but didn’t flinch, just endured it.

“I told you, I know you want to keep your job. It’s simple—I just need to say the word to Lynch.”

“But you know, there are countless girls outside dying to get in. If I help you, you’ve got to give me something in return. Right?”

The maid nodded. “What do you need me to do?”

Penny’s smirk deepened into something nastier. “It’s easy…”

Ten minutes later, the two girls came downstairs. The agent had arrived.

Under Penny’s direction, staff members hauled three heavy trunks into the activity room on the first floor.

Originally, the space was meant for relaxation or meditation—over 100 square meters, soft mats on the floor, floor-to-ceiling glass walls on two sides, bright and full of light.

Sometimes Lynch would open all the windows, drink in hand, and just sit there quietly, thinking or daydreaming.

But from now on, it would serve a different purpose.

After the staff left, the three women began unpacking the boxes.

It was their first time doing this together, and each of them felt a bit awkward.

After all… this stuff was very private.

“Oh my God!”

Penny pulled out something thicker than her own arm and nearly dropped it in shock. She gave the maid a quick glance and became even more convinced she’d made the right choice.

The maid’s face shifted from red to pale and back again. She wasn’t sure if she should stay or leave—but Penny had made her a promise.

Not only would she convince Lynch to let her stay as a permanent maid, but she’d also give her an extra 3,000 a month.

Just 3,000. To Penny, that was like spare change—about as noticeable as a Sol to Lynch.

The goods she’d brought earlier that morning had already cost over 100,000. This amount of money meant nothing to her.

But to an ordinary girl, it was almost impossible to turn down.

It meant she could live in Bluepine with grace and shine.

It meant she could become her parents’ pride.

It meant her classmates and friends would envy her.