Everyone wanted to just laze around the next day so they could get their energy back. The decorators were busy working at the banquet hall. The caterers would arrive later, since the wedding was in the morning. Sienna and her friends were eagerly putting on everything to check the last look.
However, to Sienna’s immense shock, the family heirloom, the priceless antique jewelry that Lucas’s mom had given her to wear on her wedding day, went missing! Everyone was upset, especially Sienna, who started sobbing uncontrollably. Mrs. Donnelly tried her best to calm her down since she wasn’t keeping well because of her pregnancy.
Unaware of the situation upstairs, Cara, Maria, and Pam slogged hard in the kitchen, making refreshments for all the guests. Since Cara was the youngest, she ran the errands and served everyone the food in their rooms.
“I’ve prepared the milkshake for Sienna, just as you had taught me to, Aunt Maria,” said Cara.
“What’s there to tell? Can’t you see that we’re busy? Give it to her?” scolded Pam, hardly looking up from the steak that she was preparing for lunch.
Cara didn’t like Pam’s attitude at all. It seemed as if she considered herself the owner of the house rather than just the caretaker’s wife. Maria looked up and gave Cara a warm smile that helped to calm her down.
She walked up the stairs toward Sienna’s room. However, she could sense that something was terribly wrong. There were shouts and sounds of someone sobbing coming from Sienna’s room that got Cara worried. From outside the doorstep, she could hear Mrs. Donnelly’s voice coming from inside.
“You should have kept it in the safe, dear. I’m sure it has been stolen. Anyone could have opened your closet and easily stolen it,” said Mrs. Donnelly.
Cara walked in, balancing the milkshake properly. She knew that if it spilled, Marcus’s mom would again insult her in front of everyone. She did not know what that woman had against her.
“Sienna, I brought the milkshake you asked for,” said Cara.
The moment she looked up, Cara felt all the angry glances focused upon her and wondered if she had entered at the wrong moment.
“How dare you come into Sienna’s room without knocking? Didn’t Maria teach you that much etiquette before bringing you to work here? Leave the drink and get out right now. Next time knock before entering,” said Mrs. Donnelly angrily.
Cara’s face paled as her worst nightmare came true. This was the exact reason she kept away from rich people. They were rude and mean, and Marcus’s mom was the meanest of all. Without a word, she kept the drink on the table, not looking at anyone.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” she apologized quietly before leaving the room. However, the moment she went out, she heard Mrs. Donnelly’s accusing words.
“I’m sure that girl’s the thief.”
Cara’s body trembled at the accusation and she ran down the stairs to hide in her room, scared and undecided. She did not know what was stolen and why they were accusing her, but a strange feeling of dread engulfed her.
She knew that Marcus’s mom wouldn’t let this go so easily and she trembled with fear in her room. The men weren’t at home and all she wished for was Marcus Donnelly’s warm presence to protect her from his mom’s wrath.
An angry Mrs. Donnelly went downstairs to talk to Maria. The men weren’t around, having gone to the village across the island. Lucas’s mom found Maria and Pam in the kitchen.
“Maria, how trustworthy is the girl you brought along with you?” She asked angrily. Maria dropped all her work and looked at Mrs. Donnelly with concern.
“Why? Has she done something wrong?” She asked her employer with concern.
“She entered our room without permission, and now Sienna’s wedding jewelry is missing. What do I make of it, Maria?” said Lucas’s mom.
“I never go upstairs because of my knee pain. Cara is the only one who roams everywhere, Ma’am. She was the one who delivered all the gifts to Sienna’s room yesterday,” said Pam angrily.
“I suggest you search her room and suitcase. You’ll find all the stuff that she has stolen. If you cannot do it, I can. The last group who came here had a similar issue, and I helped them solve it,” said Pam proudly.
Before Mrs. Donnelly and Maria could react, she stormed towards Cara’s room. Maria called after her, but she didn’t listen to anyone. They ran after her, but by then, she had reached Cara’s room and picked up her torn bag, throwing all her clothes to the floor.
Cara stood shocked in one corner, trembling like a leaf out of fear.
“Stop this, Pam. You can’t insult the girl like this,” said Maria, going towards her to stop her.
Mrs. Donnelly stood frozen at the scene before her. A small voice in her head told her to stop the injustice being meted out to the girl, but then curiosity took the better of her. She wanted to find out if Cara was the thief.
So she just stood quietly, watching Pam dump all Sienna’s clothes out of Cara’s bag. Seeing all the expensive clothes stashed away in her bag, everyone was shocked.
“Where have you hidden the jewelry, b*tch? Look, Mrs. Donnelly, she’s stolen your daughter-in-law’s clothes!” exclaimed Pam, picking up the beautiful turquoise dress that Sienna had given her.
Everyone gasped. Tears fell from Cara’s eyes. She might be poor, but she wasn’t a thief. Seeing the judgemental and angry stares from everyone around her, she knew they would never believe her. To them, she was indeed the thief!
“I stole nothing. Sienna gave them to me,” said Cara with tears in her eyes, but no one believed her, just as she thought.
However, before Mrs. Donnelly could say a word, little Alexia came hurrying to her granny. “Granny, Ma has fainted,” she said, making everyone gasp with shock.
Everyone knew Alexia called Sienna, ‘ma’ since she was Lucas’s daughter from his first marriage. Mrs. Donnelly gasped with fear and turned towards Maria and Pam, completely forgetting about her.
“Oh, my God! Maria, call Lucas right now. Pam, ask Joe to summon a doctor immediately,” said Mrs. Donnelly, running with Alexia to the elevator. Pam ran out of the house to tell her husband while Maria went to call Lucas.
Although they were momentarily distracted, Cara knew that Mrs. Donnelly wouldn’t leave the issue. She would come back again to insult her. What hurt her was how could they blame her with no proof.
Mostly, how could they allow Pam to insult her? It would have been a different story if Mrs. Donnelly had searched her bag. But why Pam? She was done with all of them!
Cara slowly picked up her broken and torn things and placed them into her broken bag, her tears almost blinding her. Leaving the clothes that Sienna gave her, she decided never to work for the rich people anymore. She didn’t want their money, as they really were heartless and uncaring.
Picking up her torn bag, she wore her tattered shoes and walked out of the house towards the small dock on the island. She would hail a passing boat and go home somehow to her siblings, who were waiting for her to bring money to buy them food. Only they did not know that she was returning with no money, only with a mountain load of insult and disappointment.
Tears blinded her, but she didn’t stop. She had to get away. If there was anything that she feared, it was being insulted. That was the exact reason she always avoided people.
After ten minutes, she reached the dock just in time to see a ferry passing by. She yelled at the top of her lungs, pleading with the captain to stop and give her a lift.
Finally, to her relief, the ferry stopped, and she climbed aboard. She swore in her head that it would be the last time she would ever meet the Donnellys. This world of the rich wasn’t hers. She would find work at a small diner or elsewhere. Even a cleaner’s job was more respectful than this!
She unnecessarily missed her performance because of this job. Rudolph Sterling would be so angry with her. At least she would have given her some money if she had performed. The innocent faces of her siblings came to her mind and fresh tears welled up in her eyes.
Throughout the way back home, the judgemental looks in everyone’s eyes flashed across her mind. Did her dad feel exactly the same way as she was feeling right now?
Cara wiped her tears and took a bus home. She couldn’t show her actual feelings at home. Her siblings would be so upset. She was their guardian and if she failed to look after them, they would be snatched away from her and sent away to foster homes. No, she couldn’t afford that!