She found herself staring at the four people standing in front of her-two men and two women.


    They were young, each exuding a distinct aura that seemed to reflect their individual expertise. She couldn''t quite put her finger on it, but they all seemed impressive.


    "Hello, Miss, my name is Jo. I''m the butler you''ve hired. I''ll be at your service here at the estate. Beforeing here, I trained at the Al and robotics workshop, so I''m well-versed in Al applications and can even program them to manage the household."


    Jo had a square-jawed, handsome face, dressed in a ssic tuxedo, holding a tablet with an air of respectful confidence.


    Miranda sat on the couch, flipping through Jo''s credentials. Wow, a full-service butler. He even knew martial arts.


    Where did Marion find him? Hiring someone like this on the open market wouldn''te cheap, she surmised.


    The Lancaster family also had a head butler like this, responsible for managing all personnel and organizing every event in their grand estate.


    She nced at the other man, who was a bit older and sported a beard. "And you are?"


    The man chuckled heartily. "I''m Bob, here to cook for you, Miss."


    Miranda nced at his resume. A chef. But why did a chef also have hand-to- handbat skills? And what in the world was "bare-handed dismemberment"?


    She turned her attention to the two young women.


    "I''m Mia, your maid," Mia, who wore a pair of ck-framed sses, introduced herself shyly.


    Miranda frowned. ording to her file, this was the woman who reportedly took down seven murderers in the delta region?


    "I''m Cecilia, the gardener and assistant to the butler," said the other woman, who looked pretty with an air of refined intelligence. "I can also serve as a guard if you require, Miss."


    Miranda scrutinized Cecilia,paring her to the information she had. Able to turn any nt into a lethal weapon? That was intense.


    She couldn''t help but twitch at the corner of her mouth. Had Marion hired four assassins for her? Or perhaps they were undercover operatives in their respective fields.


    "How did you all end up here?" she inquired, curious about that.


    Butler Jo exchanged a nce with the other three, and then said, "The four of us were on the run abroad when a broker named Charles found us. He said there''s a very safe job here asking if we''re willing to take it.


    Miranda was at a loss.


    "But rest assured, Miss, if we ever betray our loyalty contract, we would take ourselves out," Jo said earnestly.


    Miranda winced, "No need for that. Killing is illegal in this country. So is suicide." Loyalty aside, judging by their skills, they seemed quite capable.


    Since Marion and Charles were responsible for their recruitment, she decided to keep them for now. She''d address any issues as they arose.


    After she gave them a few instructions, the four went off to their respective duties.


    She didn''t press them for details on why they had been hunted abroad. After all, wasn''t she also being pursued by foreign agents? They were all kindred spirits in a way, no need to dig into their pasts.


    Not long after, Marion called her.


    "So, are you satisfied? I had Charles pick them out carefully, just for a capable team of gatekeepers. I''ve seen in those TV shows that


    powerful heiresses in the estate


    always have a few secret experts guarding the ce. Anything other hejresses have, you should too. Pretty thoughtful of me, right?"


    Listening to Marion''s smug tone, Miranda was suddenly unsure whether to feel touched. As she headed upstairs, she quipped, "Someone might think you''ve hired me a bunch of assassins."


    "Well, you can think of them as that,


    if necessary. It''s those foreign


    agents who.target you anyway, and even if things get dicey, there are people who can handle the


    aftermath. If it happens abroad, then


    there''s even less to worry about."