Chapter 9 An Opportunity to Get Even
“Tess, your paycheck for this month is gone.”
At the break of dawn, the street supervisor, Esther Frost, threw a slip of paper at Tess with a sneer of contempt.
Morning had barely arrived; a faint glow hung over the horizon.
The wind bit at Tess’s hands, making it almost impossible to hold her broom.
She turned around, stunned.
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“What did you say, Ms. Frost? That can’t be right. It’s only the second of the month. I still have 28 days left of work. How could I lose my whole paycheck already?”
This wasn’t just a small sum of money. That 3,000 dollars was her and Layla’s lifeline.
Esther stood there in a flashy faux fur coat, munching on a steaming roasted sweet potato.
Her over–the–knee boots clicked against the sidewalk as she looked Tess up and down. She had drawn her eyes with a dramatic eyeliner look, and her lips were curled into a sneer.
“You really want to ask why?
“Someone reported that they lost a gold necklace yesterday–right here in your zone.
“You picked it up, didn’t you? Look, we might clean streets, but we don’t tolerate thieves. You should be grateful I’m only docking one month’s pay.”
Tess couldn’t argue with Esther.
Her pale lips trembled as she struggled to find the right words, but her chest burned with fury.
She forced herself to stay calm and gently patted the sling wrapped around her chest where Layla squirmed restlessly.
“Ms. Frost, there must be a mistake. I didn’t see any necklace–much less pick one up!”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
Esther tugged her sleeyes tighter against the cutting wind and took another huge bite of sweet potato. It tasted really good. “Why else would I be out here freezing if not because of you? I gave up a perfectly warm office for this. I should’ve never hired you in the first place.
“Well, I’ve said what I came to say. Get back to work. This street needs to be spotless.”
She gestured to the ground, where peels and bits of sticky sweet potato littered the pavement. The mess appeared glaring on the ground.
Then, she turned to leave.
But Tess wouldn’t have it. She grabbed Esther by the arm.
“So, you’re saying I still have to sweep the entire zone even though I’m not getting paid? I want to see the surveillance footage. If there’s a camera, it’ll prove I didn’t take anything!”
Esther’s expression darkened as she shoved Tess away.
“The cameras weren’t working. There’s no footage.”
Then how can you accuse me? If there’s no proof the necklace was dropped in my zone, how do you know I picked it up?” Tess caught the flaw in her story and latched on.
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Chapter 9 An Opportunity to Get Even
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Esther clicked her tongue. “You’re real sharp, huh, Tess? If you think I’m framing you, go ahead–take me to court. What a pain.”
She was confident. In her mind, Tess was just some uneducated single mom. What would she know about legal rights? She was probably bluffing.
With a dramatic wave of her hand, Esther turned on her heels and stomped off.
Tess stood there, powerless, on the verge of collapsing.
She understood all too well that when they took this to court, once her criminal record came to light, it wouldn’t matter what was true or false. In the eyes of the law, she’d already be losing.
What now?
Was she supposed to just accept this?
Three thousand dollars used to be pocket change.
But now, it meant Layla’s formula, diapers, and food. She had already taken an advance to cover this month’s supplies.
But what about next month? And the one after that?
Was she really going to end up on the streets, begging with her baby in her arms?
She had seen women like that before, kneeling on sidewalks with their children bundled up beside them. Back then, she couldn’t understand how they ended up there She never thought she might become one of them.
Tess clenched the slip of paper tightly in her fist, her expression darkening.
Layla stirred in her sleep. Tess lowered her head, meeting her daughter’s rosy cheeks and clear eyes. She forced a soft, comforting smile.
“Don’t worry, Layla. Mommy’s here.”
But deep inside, Tess felt lost.
At 9 a.m., after settling Layla down in the dorm, her coworkers gathered around her.
Everyone talked at once. “Tess, we heard they cut your pay-”
“Did you really find a gold necklace?”
Another defended her, “Come on, Tess would never do something like that!”
Bessie, who had just returned from her shift, pulled Tess aside and whispered, “Did you cross someone?”
Because of the incident yesterday, Bessie–who had stood up for Tess–was transferred from her regular zone to the dirtiest one near a trash plant.
She now looked gray with grime and chilled to the bone.
Tess rushed to get her hot water, grabbed a towel, and soaped it up to wipe Bessie’s hands and face.
Tess wiped Bessie’s hands and face gently, her eyes stinging with emotion.
Bessie forced a smile. “Oh, it’s nothing, really. Don’t worry about me.” She waved her hand like it was no big deal, pretending to be cheerful, but her eyes shimmered with tears.
She glanced at Layla, who was fast asleep across the room, then quickly took Tess’s hand to stop her. “Come on now. Sit down. Why are you crying again?
“You’re a mom now. Pull yourself together. Layla’s going to need you.”
Tess ducked her head and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
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Chapter 9 An Opportunity to Get Even
“It’s just … I feel awful. I dragged you into this, Bessie. I never meant to.”
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“Oh, stop with that nonsense,” Bessie said softly. “I helped you because of Layla. Poor little thing. I’m helping you for her sake, not just yours.” But the look in Bessie’s eyes betrayed a deeper tenderness.
From the moment she laid eyes on Tess, she’d treated her like the daughter she never had.
“Tess, be honest with me–did you cross someone?”
Tess paused, caught off guard. She looked up at her in a daze. “Why would you say that?”
Bessie leaned in, her voice low. “On the way back, I ran into Esther. She was sitting in a car on the phone and didn’t notice me. I pretended to sweep nearby and overheard your name. She was talking to some guy–Mr. Mitchell, I think–making plans to mess with you.”
Tess’s chest tightened. “Are you sure she didn’t say Riven?”
Bessie shook her head and confirmed, “I’m sure. It was Mitchell.”
Mr. Mitchell?
Who the heck is Mr. Mitchell?
Tess’s mind raced, but she came up blank. Bessie frowned as well, trying to piece it together.
“I don’t get it,” Bessie muttered. “It’s just you and Layla. Why would anyone go out of their way to make life hard for you? “But Tess, Esther’s not just anyone. She’s in charge of this whole area. She’s even higher up than Riven. And the way she was speaking to that man on the phone so respectfully… I’ve got a bad feeling. If you ask me, you’re about to lose this job.
“You need to start planning. I can tell you’re not meant for this life. You’re not going to spend the rest of your days pushing a broom with your baby strapped to your chest, are you?
“Oh, and one more thing–Esther’s nephew, the one with the limp? He was sweeping the street just a block over from yours this afternoon. Avoid him if you can. That guy’s trouble.”
With that, Bessie kicked off her vest and climbed onto her bed. She was asleep within moments.
Tess sat down beside Layla, her body heavy with exhaustion. The baby’s soft, rosy face looked adorable in the dim light. Tess blinked, and her eyes grew glassy with emotion.
Since getting out of prison, she hadn’t offended anyone.
And yet, someone out there clearly had it out for her.
Whoever they were, they knew this powerful man. They had the clout to give this man orders and get results. The culprit was bound to be someone with a high status.
A face flashed through her mind–cold and handsome with a quiet, unapproachable kind of power. Her gut twisted, but she quickly shook her head. No–it couldn’t be him.
If it were, she and Layla wouldn’t still be safe here.
Tess sat there in silence, uncertainty clawing at her chest.
Tess had one more shift that day, from 4:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.
She headed out in the afternoon, broom in hand, and swept her way down the long, empty street.
Thankfully, Layla was a quiet little thing. Either she lay cradled in her sling, gazing curiously at the world with her round eyes, or she’d grow drowsy from the steady rhythm of Tess’s movements and drift off to sleep with her tiny head slumping to one side. She rarely gave Tess any trouble.
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Chapter 9 An Opportunity to Get Even
After a while, Tess took a short break on a bench. She pulled out a tissue, gently
shifted her into a more comfortable position in her arms before getting up to “ped the drool from Layla’s chin, and
again.
Just then, a garbage truck rumbled up the road. Tess stood and emptied her bin into it.
That was when she noticed someone approaching. An elderly woman, silver–haired and elegantly dressed, was walking briskly along the sidewalk, murmuring anxiously to herself.
When she reached Tess, she stopped short and asked in a flustered voice, “Excuse me, dear. Have you seen a sapphire ring?
She looked near tears.
“My husband gave it to me when he was still alive. It was our engagement ring. I’ve treasured it for decades. I even sleep with
it on.
“He’s
gone now, and that ring is all I have left to remember him by. And now, I’ve lost it. What am I going to do?”
The elderly woman grew panicked. She dabbed at her eyes with a crumpled tissue a couple of times.
Tess pondered about this as she took in the woman’s distress. “Ma’am, don’t worry. Let me help you look. Maybe we can still find it. Do you remember where you’ve been today? When did you first notice it was missing?”
The woman thought about it, her expression lost and troubled. “Oh, my memory isn’t what it used to be. I went for a walk in the park earlier, but I’ve already searched the whole place twice and didn’t find a thing. I think I must’ve passed through these nearby streets too.”
She looked completely defeated, as if all hope had slipped through her fingers.
Tess’s mind flickered with an image.
Just 15 minutes ago, she had seen Carl Tenny–the cleaner from the next block–acting suspiciously. He had bent down quickly to grab sormething off the pavement, then glanced around furtively before slipping it into his coat. His whole demeanor had been sneaky, so it was hard not to notice.
Tess gently guided the woman toward the bench and helped her sit down. Then, she handed over her water bottle. “Here, have some water and rest your leg. Don’t worry. There’s still a chance we’ll find it.”
She knew that whatever that sapphire ring was worth, it was nothing compared to the love of the elderly woman’s husband. Just then, several men in sharp black suits came jogging over from the direction of the park. They came to a halt in front of the old woman and stood respectfully with their heads slightly bowed.
One of them said, “Mrs. Vale, we’ve searched the entire park. There’s no sign of it.”
Whatever hope Jessie Vale had been holding onto disappeared from her eyes. “Oh no, what am I going to do now?” she mumbled.
Tess stared at the men–each one dressed to the nines, towering and stone–faced–and yet their demeanor toward Jessie was
borderline reverent.
Whoever this elderly woman was, she was clearly someone with a formidable background.
Tess couldn’t help but reflect on how far she’d fallen. She was reduced to a cleaner, and even her wages had been cut.
Once, she had been the rising star of Aetheris–a brilliant young attorney who made headlines and took no prisoners in the courtroom. Now? She was a street cleaner with a baby in her arms, getting her wages cut by a petty supervisor who wouldn’t even look her in the eye.
There was an old saying: “If you want to beat the snake, you need a dragon.”
She looked at Jessie again–polished, respected, and clearly not powerless. And just like that, an idea sparked in Tess’s mind. Tess stepped forward and said clearly, “Ma’am, I think I can help you find your ring.”
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