Sophia smiled elegantly and responded in English as well.

“That girl, does she look like a maid to you?”

“No?”

“Of course not. She’s new here. She came up from some backwater village down there. But she has no tact and her head is so bad that I have to tell her the same thing dozens of times. I want to just fire her right away, but you know how big-hearted I am.”

“Well, your husband is going to be the representative soon and you’ll be the lady of the house in the PR group. You have to be generous to those who have less. Noblesse oblige, right?”

The women burst into laughter.

“Sophia, don’t forget us when you rise to a high position. Okay?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks to having good friends, our husbands’ companies will grow big now.”

Sophia also responded pompously.

“So treat me well.”

“Of course, madam!”

The women giggled again.

Then they noticed Yeo Reum staring at them intently.

“Why is that stupid girl still standing there?”

“I know. She’s quite dumb as they say. Sophia, you must be quite tired.”

“Tell me about it. Some beggar-like thing came in from somewhere. I just ignore her completely.”

“But you can’t keep being nice to her. If you’re nice to them even once, they won’t recognize their master and will crawl all over you. Look, she’s still standing there blankly without even greeting her mistress properly. She has no basics. No basics at all.”

They glared at Yeo Reum as they spoke.

“As you can see, managing underlings may look comfortable on the outside, but it’s uncomfortable for the heart. And a girl as stupid as her with no use only raises my blood pressure. I got a headache because of her.”

“Sophia, you might as well get a dog. It would be better than such a stupid girl.”

“Maybe I should?”

They all laughed together.

Then Sophia raised a hand lightly.

The junior member of Blue House’s cooking team came with wine and started pouring it.

“My housekeeper is also so stupid. Even when I cursed at her in English while smiling, she had no idea what I was saying and just smiled back.”

“They’re all like that. Look now too. Whether it’s this one or those ones, they have no clue what we’re talking about and are just smiling and serving, right?”

They mocked the Blue House staff cooking and serving on the side.

“Pathetic humans. Study a bit and live. Why do they live their lives so cheaply like that?”

“Those kinds are all like that. Losers. So lazy.”

“Well, but it’s comfortable for people like us because those kinds exist. Right?”

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense too. If any Tom, Dick, and Harry tried to live like us, who would do the hard and dirty cleanup? The world is best with a pyramid hierarchy, I tell you.”

“True, true.”

They kept giggling.

“What’s so funny?”

The women’s heads turned back all at once at the sudden words.

Yeo Reum approached the table with a bright smile.

At the sight, the Blue House staff stopped moving and focused their gazes.

Sophia quickly said,

“Miss Jung Yeo Reum, don’t ruin the atmosphere and go on your way.”

“Did I ruin the atmosphere?”

“You don’t know?”

As Sophia raised her eyes, the five women sitting next to her also made a pathetic expression.

“But what can I do? I’ve already arrived at my destination.”

“What do you mean?”

Yeo Reum pointed to Blue House with her chin and said,

“I’ve arrived at my house, haven’t I?”

The women looked puzzled, wondering what she was talking about.

Sophia said, flustered,

“Don’t upset people and go quickly.”

“Why would the ladies be upset? I might be upset about being called worse than a dog, but how about their feelings?”

Yeo Reum scanned the puzzled women and said,

“Why are you all surprised? You insulted and mocked decent people, calling them stupid underlings, cheap, and lazy losers. Now that you think I understood your words, you’re suddenly embarrassed?”

At Yeo Reum’s words, the faces of the Blue House staff hardened.

The flustered women shouted,

“Wh-what is this woman saying now?”

“Of course people can curse. I’m good at it too. But when they kindly cooked delicious food and served you, you repaid them with mockery and contempt? Can you swallow this food down your throat while doing such things? You trashy people.”

“…Y-you’re out of your mind, aren’t you?”

One woman who barely came to her senses glared at Yeo Reum and said,

“Hey, we are friends of Sophia, the owner of this place. But do you think you can do this to us and still stay here? Sophia, you need to train your maid properly. No, fire her!”

“Yeah. Fire her!”

The other women also raised their voices in agreement with her words.

“Tsk tsk tsk. Every single one of you is lacking.”

“…Lacking? Has she gone crazy now! Hey, we all have positions in university and hold doctoral degrees! Know that!”

“Sounds like something a doctor would say.”

The women got up like a swarm of bees at Yeo Reum’s sneer.

“Sophia, what are you just watching for? Tell them to drag this woman out right now!”

“Unfortunately, your friend can’t do that.”

“What?”

Yeo Reum, who had been smirking, said,

“Because I am the real owner of Blue House.”

The women sneered in unison.

“You’ve really gone crazy, haven’t you?”

“Did you hear that lady call me Jung Yeo Reum just now?”

“So what!”

“My father’s name is Jung Jung Hyun, and my father’s mother, my grandmother, is Kang Ju Hwa. Her position is the chairwoman of the PR Group.”

“…What?”

They looked at her in disbelief and then turned to Sophia all at once.

It was as if they were asking for an answer.

“You guys, do you want to hear her say it’s not true? But seeing how she’s keeping her mouth shut, can’t you read the situation?”

Suddenly, their faces were filled with shock.

“You too, madam. Your husband was demoted to a deputy department head, let alone being a representative, but you want to brag to your friends?”

“De-deputy department head?”

Yeo Reum said to the dumbfounded women,

“This time, her sister-in-law and husband made a big mistake to me, so that’s what happened. If by any chance my words are wrong, say they’re wrong.”

Sophia didn’t answer.

“And the more I see you, madam, the more shameless you are. You want to act like the owner while living in your sister-in-law’s house? Well, let’s say I understand that too. But at least you shouldn’t insult the Blue House staff who work for you. They’re not gum for you to chew on when you’re bored, are they? And you all.”

Yeo Reum’s eyes turned to the women standing in front of her.

At the same time, she gestured to the Blue House staff who were standing on the side watching this whole situation.

“Yes, miss.”

The staff who came forward bowed their heads to Yeo Reum.

That made the women freeze even more.

Yeo Reum said to them,

“Kneel down and apologize to our staff right now.”

“Excuse me?”

“If you did wrong, you should apologize, right?”

“Pe-people can make mistakes. But isn’t it too much to tell us to kneel down?”

“You can’t do it?”

“No matter what, we can’t kneel down. Why should we do that!”

It was the woman who was the most aggressive among them.

“Do you want to step down from your teaching position?”

“…What did you say?”

“If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to. But then, do your doctor job at home from now on.”

“Are you crazy? How can you say such a thing without batting an eye? Don’t you know that’s illegal?”

Yeo Reum answered,

“Yes.”

“…Are you out of your mind? How can you say that without blinking an eye? Don’t you know that’s illegal?”

“Even if it’s illegal, I don’t care. I will definitely have you fired. Teaching students with that trashy personality is a sin. And it seems your husband runs a company, but I will thoroughly crush it. I will show you a proper pyramid hierarchy that you like so much.”

Her eyes grew so wide they seemed about to pop out.

“Stop talking nonsense!”

It was Sophia.

She got up with a start, glared at Yeo Reum, and said,

“You’re not even recognized as a granddaughter by grandmother, but you’re talking big! Girls, don’t believe this woman! She doesn’t have any ability to do that at all!”

Yeo Reum looked at the agitated Sophia and grinned.

But instead of responding to her, she said to her friends,

“You’ll have to choose well who’s the crazy one. And who’s really at the top of the pyramid.”

Looking at the troubled women, Yeo Reum smiled leisurely.

“Well, if you can’t believe it, I can’t help it.”

Then a woman who had been watching carefully quickly knelt down and shouted,

“I was wrong!”

Yeo Reum said,

“Not to me, but to them.”

She quickly changed direction, bowed her head to the Blue House staff, and shouted,

“I was really wrong! Please forgive me!”

The other women who had been watching also knelt down together.

Sophia’s face turned pale.

The four women rubbed their foreheads on the floor frantically.

Yeo Reum looked at the woman who stood firm until the end.

“It’s good to be stubborn. But you know what? You’re even more stupid than a dog.”

A spasm ran across her face.

As if it didn’t matter, Yeo Reum turned around.

“…I was wrong!”

Even she knelt down on the floor.

Sophia had a suffocating expression.

“It’s already too late.”

As Yeo Reum tried to leave, the desperate Sophia grabbed her leg and hung on.

She cried and shouted,

“…I was wrong! Miss, please forgive me just this once!”

“You’re so stupid after all. I told you it’s not to me, right?”

At those words, she hurriedly went in front of the staff, pressed her forehead close, and shouted,

“I was wrong! I was really wrong!”

The women’s shouts mixed with crying were enough to fill the Blue House garden.

Yeo Reum said,

“It’s so noisy I’m going to die. You all go now.”

They looked around but didn’t want to move readily.

“I said go.”

“Umm, miss…”

“If you don’t go within 1 second, I’ll really cut you all off completely.”

Shocked by those words, the women ran frantically toward the main gate.

They fell over and tripped, making a huge mess.

But for fear of being caught by Yeo Reum, they kept running forward even while limping.

“The madam’s expression isn’t very good. Well, now you’ll be too embarrassed to go to your friends’ gatherings.”

Sophia turned around angrily.

“Stop right there.”

Sophia’s steps toward the main building stopped.

Yeo Reum approached her and said,

“Aren’t you going to apologize to the staff, madam?”

“Why should I? Frankly, it’s not like I said anything I shouldn’t have!”

“You did say things you shouldn’t have. Moreover, without knowing your place.”

“Why does it matter what I say!”

Looking at Sophia who was fuming with anger, Yeo Reum said,

“It’s not like you pay the staff’s salaries, right? But why do you act so recklessly? Even if you did pay their salaries, you shouldn’t do that.”

“Yes, you’re so great! You must be happy being the owner of this house!”

“That’s right. It’s nice. And as the owner of this house, I’m going to give an order to the madam who’s living here now.”

“Wh-what order?”

“Yes, an order. Listen well. Clean up that stuff yourself.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Since you and your friends ate it, you should at least clean it up yourself.”

Yeo Reum took another step closer to Sophia, who was trembling with anger.

Looking straight into her eyes, she said,

“You’d better clean it up properly. Otherwise, I’ll take out all the things in your room and throw all that stuff away.”

“…What?”

“Until I’m satisfied, you’ll have to do it over and over again, a hundred times, a thousand times. And Mr. Park.”

Mr. Park, who had come out at some point, quickly approached Yeo Reum’s side.

“Yes, miss.”

“Give the staff who worked hard a break. And is there any money allocated to my aunt?”

“Yes. There is money allocated for the deputy department head and his wife to maintain their dignity.”

“Take a portion of that and distribute it evenly to the staff who worked hard today. They deserve compensation for their hard work.”

“…Hey, why are you touching that!”

“If you used them, you have to pay them money. Money. How can a person have no conscience like that?”

“Y-you!”

“Madam, work hard. But it’ll be quick if you put on rubber gloves.”

No matter how angry Sophia shouted, Yeo Reum ignored her, covering one ear, and said to the dumbfounded staff,

“Everyone, go inside. And I’ll treat you to a snack today. How about chicken?”

“Sounds good!”

The staff cheered in unison.

Yeo Reum headed to the main building with them.

Behind her, the infuriated Sophia screamed, but she ignored it.