Ethan’s hands trembled slightly as he adjusted his crisp black tie in the rearview mirror of his beat-up Honda. Twenty-four years old, freshly graduated with a hospitality degree, and already drowning in student loans. When the agency had called him about a “prestigious live-in butler position” at a private estate, he thought it was a joke. The salary was triple what he’d expected, with full room and board.

He just hadn’t expected this.

The wrought-iron gates swung open silently, revealing a sprawling modern mansion nestled in the hills, glass walls, sleek architecture, and manicured gardens that probably cost more than his entire education. He parked where instructed and approached the...