I Fired the Nanny over a Glass of Water

My house suddenly catches fire. The nanny is burned across nearly 80% of her body while saving my son, and the doctors spend three days fighting to keep her alive. But I fire her because of a single glass of water she gives him. Then I hire a lawyer and demand that she pay me back for every expensive supplement she took while working for us. My son looks at me as if he can't believe what I've become. "Mom, when did you become so heartless? Amy almost died saving me, and you won't even cover her medical bills. Now you're firing her too? "You're the one who taught me never to forget what someone has done for me. If you won't help her, I will!" I hold his gaze without flinching. "Then go ahead! Samuel, I've frozen all your cards, so you won't be using a cent of my money. If you want to help Amy, you'll have to find a way to pay her bills yourself." Because of what I've done, everyone in my family thinks the worst of me. But I don't explain myself to any of them. After all, I've already died once. In this second life, I'll do whatever it takes to protect my family, even if it means being misunderstood by everyone. Chapter 1 The moment I said it, the hospital room went dead silent. Even my mother-in-law, Pamela Perkins, who was always warm and gracious with everyone, stared at me wide-eyed. She couldn't believe I'd say something like that to Amy Wheeler, the nanny who had saved my own son, Samuel Gable. "Mabel, Amy was burned across 80% of her body saving Samuel, and all he felt was a slight burning sensation in his fingers because she protected him. "She's lying in the ICU because she saved him, and you can still say something so heartless? You really are cold-blooded, just like when you drove your own grandmother to her death fighting your brother over the family inheritance." Pamela looked at Sophia Locke with sympathy. Sophia was Amy's daughter and had taken time off from college to be at the hospital. "Sophia, you've seen what your mother went through to save Samuel. If you're willing, I'd like to take you in as my own granddaughter and welcome you into the Gable family." Tears streamed down Sophia's face as she shook her head. "No, Mrs. Gable Sr. My mom taught me never to take anything I haven't earned. "I know you're only offering because she saved Samuel, but I don't want to benefit from her suffering. Besides, I don't want Ms. Sadler fighting with you because of me." Seeing how considerate Sophia was only made Pamela think even worse of me. Sophia's eyes reddened as she spoke, and the patients and visitors around us began glaring at me. A few even clenched their fists. But with two bodyguards beside me, I wasn't worried that anyone would try anything. Sophia spoke to Pamela with quiet maturity. "Mrs. Gable Sr., I'm just a college student. I have no money or connections, and I don't want this to cause trouble between you and Ms. Sadler. "My mom took plenty of expensive supplements while she was working for the Gable family, so Ms. Sadler has every right to ask us to pay her back." Then she turned to me. "Ms. Sadler, I'm sorry on my mom's behalf. She'll never take anything that doesn't belong to her from your home again." I simply watched it all, my expression cold. In my previous life, Sophia's meek and obedient act had won my sympathy. I brought her to every social event I attended and treated her like my own daughter. But this time, I made a different choice, and everything changed. Amy had suffered burns across 80% of her body saving Samuel, only to be fired by me. The story quickly began trending online. A crowd of reporters poured into the hospital corridor, microphones raised as they jostled to get close enough to question me. One woman took advantage of her petite frame and quickly squeezed her way to the front. She immediately launched into her questions. "Ms. Sadler! There are reports that Amy risked her life rushing into the fire to save your son and is still lying in a hospital bed. Yet this is when you've chosen to fire her. "Aren't you turning your back on the person who saved his life? Amy's daughter, Sophia, told us that you fired her mother just because she poured your son a glass of water. Is that true?" Chapter 2 I showed no emotion as I answered the reporter, "It's true." The crowd erupted at my admission. If my bodyguards hadn't been there, they probably would've torn me apart. Whispers swept through the crowd. Someone scoffed. "Everyone, take a good look at her!" "Rich people like her don't give a damn whether poor people like us live or die." A girl in the crowd spoke up hesitantly. "Ms. Wheeler is a wonderful person. I was running late for an exam once, and she gave me some breakfast. "Then she had Sophia give me a ride to school on her e-bike. After everything she did for me, I'd be a terrible person if I stayed silent while she was treated like this. "I don't care if the police side with that woman. I'm still going to demand justice for Ms. Wheeler. She suffered burns across 80% of her body saving that woman's son. The woman didn't even thank her. She fired her instead. "Wait, that woman looks familiar. Wasn't she an actress? I remember now. That's Mabel Sadler. I never thought she'd turn her back on someone who helped her." I faced the furious crowd with the calm confidence of someone who knew she had already won. "Amy has fooled every one of you. The fire was her fault. It happened because she was negligent. She saved Samuel only so she could use it to pressure my family into giving her and Sophia money. "But I saw through her. I've already hired a lawyer to gather evidence of all the supplements she helped herself to behind our backs, and I'm going to make her pay me back." At my words, the crowd glared daggers at me, but no one dared step forward with my bodyguards beside me. Just then, one of my own bodyguards turned on me. He told the crowd, "I never wanted any part of this. But my daughter is sick, and I can't afford her medical bills. I was desperate. This woman offered me ten times what I normally make!" The crowd forgave him on the spot. Someone in the crowd blurted out, "Mabel is the one to blame. She's vicious, and she used her money to pressure him into doing what she wanted." "I used to watch TV all the time, and I never saw Mabel in anything." "Even her own bodyguard has taken our side now. Let's see how she tries to explain herself. I've been livestreaming this whole thing on my phone." "I'm livestreaming too. More than 100,000 people have already joined my livestream, and they're all watching us right now." Someone even shouted at me, "Listen, Mabel! There may only be a dozen or so of us here, but people all over the country have already watched what you've done on our livestreams!" The reporter from earlier looked thrilled, clearly convinced she had landed a major scoop involving the Gable Group. She held her microphone out to me. "Ms. Sadler, even your own bodyguard was so appalled by your actions that he spoke out against you. How do you respond?" Chapter 3 I looked at the reporter, completely unfazed. "You all just watched my bodyguard fail to do the job I hired him to do. Thanks to you, he won't be getting the money he needed for his daughter's treatment." That only made the crowd hate me more. Still, they were ordinary people. They couldn't do a thing to me. Then a young woman spoke up. "Everyone, that's enough. We came here to visit Ms. Wheeler, remember? Sooner or later, justice will be served. "Her daughter majors in law. If they decide to take this to court, they may already have enough evidence. Let's not make this any harder on them." Before long, Amy's hospital room was packed with people. Amy lay motionless in bed. The visible skin on her face, hands, and arms was covered in horrific burns. Sophia was nowhere to be seen. As soon as the crowd spotted me, whispers broke out. Just then, Amy pretended to wake up. She looked at me with wounded eyes, her voice anxious. "Mrs. Gable, did I do something wrong?" As I watched her perform, I discreetly started a livestream. Viewers poured in almost immediately. Completely calm, I looked at Amy. "Amy, you say you saved Samuel. We have technicians inspect our house every month. After an accident this serious, I need to confront someone from the maintenance company in person." Amy avoided my gaze, clearly caught off guard by the fact that we had the house inspected every month. She recovered quickly, but stumbled over her words. "Mrs. Gable, the fire was so intense that day. I don't remember where it started." Without warning, she got out of bed and dropped to her knees. "Mrs. Gable, please stop pressuring me. Please don't get Sophia expelled. The fire was my fault. I accidentally left the gas on. "I only saved Samuel to make up for it. I promise I won't ask you for any compensation." Chapter 4 I almost laughed out loud at Amy's sheer audacity. The crowd glared at me as if they wanted to tear me apart. Samuel looked at me with open disgust. "Mom, when did you become so heartless? Amy ended up like this saving me! Are you really going to treat her this way just because she poured me a glass of water?" The anger on his face left me speechless. He had always been kind, but ever since I'd been given a second chance, I'd been so consumed with revenge that I hadn't paid enough attention to him. This time, everyone would see Amy and Sophia for who they really were. I chose my next words to provoke them. "Samuel, I know Amy saved you from the fire, but she's in no condition to keep working as our nanny. She needs time to recover, and her injuries would be bad for the Gable Group's image." The crowd had heard enough. A burly man cracked his knuckles, an impatient scowl on his face. "You all heard her! She admitted it herself! Let's all go after her. If every one of us gets a hit in, the police can't arrest us all!" Egged on by the burly man, the furious crowd charged at me. I caught the smug look on Amy's face and stepped aside at the last second. Unable to stop themselves, they barreled straight into Amy, who had returned to bed. She immediately screamed in terror. An elderly man was shoved forward, and his lips pressed against one of the large burn wounds on Amy's face. Everyone stared in shock, but not one of them stepped forward. His tongue grazed the wound in the collision. He gagged, then paused in confusion. He could taste milk. Since when did burn wounds taste like milk? A young woman suddenly caught on and pointed at Amy. "Those wounds are fake! When that man fell against her, she didn't show any sign of pain. She's been lying to all of us!"