The morning sun shone through the thick glass of the Obsidian Palace, making long shadows on Ethan's desk. Ethan sat in his expensive chair, looking at three different computer screens. To the outside world, he was a tough man who took down companies, broke tanks, and crashed the stock market.
But inside his home, he was a man who loved data.
He tapped a few keys on his expensive gaming keyboard, using his hacking skills. He didn't just want to see the security cameras; he wanted to know everything happening in his house. Rows of videos appeared, and he started watching one after another. But one screen piked his interest and he looked at it closely: the hallway near the wine cellar.
He saw Elena, his secretary, cornering Elara. He couldn't hear them, but from their gestures he perceived what was happening. He saw Elena waving her arms and forcefully shoving a tablet at Elara. He could see the jealousy in Elena's eyes. Ethan smiled a little.
He almost used the intercom to stop them, but he paused. He wanted to see how Elara—the quiet girl with 14.0 intelligence—would handle it. He watched as Elara took the tablet and bowed calmly. She didn't look scared at all. She looked focused.
"Let's see what you're made of, Elara," Ethan whispered.
He closed the cameras and looked into the palace's money files. He expected to see huge bills for such a big house. But as he opened the folders, his eyes widened. The numbers were strange. They were too good.
He compared the old bills from the previous owner. That man had spent nearly $200,000 a month on electricity and water. Ethan's bill was only $80,000. He checked the food costs, the repairs, and the staff pay. Everything was perfect.
He tracked who made the changes. It wasn't his accountants. The changes came from the computer in the House Manager's office.
Ethan realized the truth. Elara hadn't just been cleaning the palace; she had been fixing his entire budget. She had talked to suppliers for better prices, installed sensors to save power, and found a tax trick for the helipad that saved him three million dollars a year. She was doing the job of a top executive while carrying towels and tea.
Just then, there was a knock. Elara walked in, holding the folder Elena had forced her to finish. Soon Elena followed. Elara looked a little tired, but her clothes were neat and she was calm.
"The reports you asked for are ready, sir," she said, putting the folder on his desk. She didn't complain about Elena. She didn't say a word about being bullied.
Ethan didn't look at the folder. He looked at Elara and then at Elena. Elena's face became red like a tomato because of embarrassment. Ethan looked at Elena and shook his head slightly, sighed, and said, "Elena, you can go. I will talk to you later." Elena gritted her teeth, looked at Elara with contempt, and walked away.
He then looked at Elara. "I was looking at the tax files today, Elara."
She blinked and looked nervous for the first time. "I... I hope I didn't overstep, Mr. Benjamin. The old billing was very complicated. I thought it was better to save your money."
"You saved me four million dollars last month," Ethan said. He stood up and walked toward her. "Why didn't you tell me you could do this?"
Elara looked down at her shoes, blushing profusely. "My job is to make your life perfect, sir. Sometimes that means cleaning a floor. Sometimes it means fixing the books. I didn't want to bother you with the details."
Ethan felt a new kind of respect for her. He thought about Elena, who was probably feeling proud of herself for being cold and harsh to a "maid." He realized that while Elena was playing games, Elara was actually running the show.
"Elena tried to give you too much work today to keep you away from me," Ethan said.
Elara looked up, her intelligence shining in her eyes. "I know, sir. But I finished her 'impossible' tasks in two hours. It gave me more time to look at your security contracts to save more money."
Ethan almost laughed. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. She shivered slightly at his touch.
"From now on, you manage the whole budget," Ethan told her. "And if Elena gives you more busy work, tell her to see me. I think she's going to be very busy with her own work soon."
Elara gave him a small, bright smile. "Thank you, Mr. Benjamin. I won't let you down."
As she left, Ethan sat back down. He looked at the cameras again. Elena was walking toward his office, looking very smug. Ethan turned off the screen and opened a new file. He had a very boring, very difficult project ready for Elena—something that would keep her far away from Elara for a very long time.